Reality of Dreams
by Suni-Dlight
Summary: Eleven Years after Sozin's comet, disaster strikes once more. A new adventure is about to start, creating new friendships, new love, and new hope.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

_**11 Years After Sozin's Comet**_

* * *

It was common knowledge that Azula had since lost most of her sense. Ever since her father was defeated by Avatar Aang and her world came crashing down around her.

She sat now, in her prison cell in Boiling Rock. Her hair, lack luster, hung in front of her face as she stared at the floor, staring at the same spot that her vision had become accustomed to. She missed the spas of the Royal Palace. This was not where she was meant to be.

Soon.

Soon her time would come and she'd be in her rightful place again.

"Dinner time." A crude almost tin pan was pushed through the slot at the bottom of the door while the slot at the top opened up to reveal the face of a Fire Nation guard. It hadn't been so long ago when that face would have been serving her, _fearing_ her but now that face could only gaze down at her with pity.

He would be the first.

"Do you follow me?" she asked in a soft voice. It was the same question she had asked each and every guard for the last twelve years. The guards continued to question her sanity, said she was crazy to ask and to think that they would answer yes.

Little did they know that she was just waiting for the right person, biding her time.

"Eat your dinner," the guard said, shaking his head as he closed the slot.

Azula continued to stare at the ground in her dark cell.

Soon.

The slot slid open suddenly.

"Do you follow me?" she asked, softly.

"The Earth revolves around the Sun."

The ground beneath her shook for a minute and there was an unusual crash of rock against metal before her door opened.

A small smile appeared on Azula's face.

She rose lucidly to her feet and called out in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, guard."

* * *

Screams broke out as Ba Sing Se was caught in a surprise attack from the inside. Walls could protect no one and it no longer mattered which circle one belonged to as everyone who got in the way was taken by not only by Firebenders who too sought to regain some sort of control and power but also by the infamous Dai Li, who had not been as disbanded as previously thought.

Smoke clouded the sky. Avatar Aang flew through it, over the city on his glider, using water from the waterskins at his side to put out the nearest fire as the smoke clogged his airways.

"GO!" he called to those who could hear him. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

He watched, helplessly as those who fought were captured or – or worse. Giving his glider a yank he flew back to the apartment that belonged to his family.

Katara came running out when she saw him from the window, visibly pregnant and yet that didn't stop her from using her own waterskin to bend water into a whip, knocking back an approaching Firebender.

"Katara!" he yelled as another Firebender attempted to sneak up behind her. He landed, swinging his staff in a fierce arc, knocking their opponent away and clear through into another house.

"Go inside!" he said and Katara nodded, coughing as she went into the house.

"Aang!" Aang spun as Fire Lord Zuko came running forward, helping along his elderly Uncle Iroh. Mei was in front of him, their one-year-old son Houjin held tightly in her arms.

It must have been planned this way, Aang thought as he motioned Zuko and his family, who had been visiting Ba Sing Se, into his house. Whoever was behind this had wanted them all together at this time.

Taking a deep breath, he stomped and punched forward, raising a thick rock wall in front of his house. He did the same thing to each side until his home was surrounded. This would hold the Firebenders off until they could get Earthbenders through.

That would be enough time.

He rushed into his dark home, the amount of people surprising him. He hadn't seen Sokka or Suki run in or Toph but there they stood. Eleven people, including his unborn child, looking to him for an answer, for what to do now.

"You all need to leave," he said, much to the surprise of the rest.

"What?" Katara stepped forward. "Aang, we're not leaving you here!"

"Katara, you're not fit to fight!" He shook his head. "No, you have to go, you have to take care of Meifeng."

Almost on cue, Aang felt someone tug at the bottom of his trousers. He looked down into the large grey eyes of his two-year-old daughter. Smiling sadly, he gathered her up into his arms, holding her to him tightly. "I love you," he whispered softly.

"Aang," Katara said, tears in her eyes.

Aang stepped forward and pulled Katara into his other arm, holding her there for a moment before transferring Meifeng into her arms. "I love you both. Here," he said, handing Katara his staff. He smiled at his daughter. "She'll need it soon."

The ground rocked beneath them, a signal that the opposing forces were attempting to break through. He looked to Sokka and Zuko. "Appa's out back. Make sure they get out of here safely."

"I'm staying with you, Aang," Zuko said. "It's my crazy sister out there. Sokka will get them to safety."

Sokka looked torn but he nodded as the ground shook again.. "Come on, ladies."

He grabbed Toph's and Suki's hands, pulling them out the back door. Mei leaned forward, kissing Zuko before following after, Uncle Iroh's hand gripped in hers. Katara stayed a moment and Aang smiled at her again. "I'll meet you wherever you guys end up."

Katara nodded, a tear falling down her cheek. "I'm holding you to that," she said, her throat constricted.

He kissed her and then placed a kiss on Meifeng's forehead, sending them out the door as the earth seemed to shatter around them.

"You not planning on getting out of here are you," Zuko muttered, stripping off his robes so that he was left in only his trousers.

Aang followed suite. He smiled at the other boy. "I'm not going to stand here and not try though."

"Well." Zuko placed his fist on his palm and bowed. "It was an honor fighting beside you and being your friend, Avatar Aang."

Aang bowed back. "The same to you, Fire Lord Zuko."

The two of them shared a glance before bursting through the front door of what used to be Aang's home.

Dozens of Earthbenders and Fire Nation soldiers stood outside in a crescent. There would be no where to run now.

Zuko flung out his arm, a fiery whip appearing in his hand. Aang pulled all the water from the waterskin at his side, long tendrils of water now on both of his arms. They didn't even get a chance to move, however.

"Zuzu." The two friends looked up as the crescent parted slightly to let Azula through. She shook her head sadly. "And here I thought we might be able to chat and come to some sort of agreement."

She nodded and the two Dai Li jumped forward, the rocks around their hands shooting and enclosing themselves around Zuko's wrists, pulling him to the ground. "Azula," he started. "Azula, you don't know what you're doing!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," she said, angrily. Lightening crackled in the air and on the tips of her fingertips. "I'm finishing what no one else could. Are you ready, Avatar?"

Aang stood up straight, arms at his sides. "You should know, Azula, that it doesn't end with me. Your world conquest will not succeed. You will not win."

"I will win!" Azula screamed. "And no one – not Zuko and not you or any Avatar; certainly not some insignificant Waterbender – will defeat me this time!"

The lightening in her fingers shot out viciously. Zuko cried out his friend's name.

Aang closed his eyes and knew no more.

* * *

Azula stared down at the body with cool indifference.

"You're a monster!" Zuko screamed at his sister.

"That's what mother said too," Azula said with an eerie grin. "Take him away and lock him up somewhere where I'll never have to see him."

"Princess." A soldier stepped forward anxiously. "Princess, shouldn't we have . . . shouldn't we have kept the Avatar alive. He will just be reincarnated in one of the Water Tribes."

Azula spun on the man. "Funny. I don't remember asking you to question me. Don't you think I've thought of that? The new Avatar will be nothing more than a newborn in a week's time. By then, we'll have already taken care of that little problem. Get the ships ready. We depart in a day's time."

There was a murmur of consent as Fire Nation and Dai Li alike bowed and hurried off in different directions.

"Oh and solider. It's no longer Princess. You may refer to me as the new Queen of all Nations."

* * *

_**A Week Later**_

A pain filled scream filled the medicine room.

Katara held her healing hands over the woman's stomach. "You're going to be alright, Ai. You have to stay strong. Push!"

Ai did so, her hand tightening on Suki's, who grimaced but held on just the same.

After the attack on Ba Sing Se, they had fled to the Northern Water Tribe. Knowing that Aang was gone, they knew it would only be a matter of time before the new Avatar revealed themselves and they would be a Waterbender. There was also no doubt in their mind that Azula would make it her duty to kill the Waterbenders off as Sozin had done to the Airbenders. As it was, Fire Nation ships were on their way here. The child would need to be protected, whoever it was.

Earthbenders and Earth Kingdom dwellers who hadn't pledge their allegiance to Azula were either killed or they fled. Toph was among the few who had taken up refugee in some unknown parts, working to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. The same went for Fire Nation natives who didn't believe in Azula's cause. But, despite being locked up in prison and her ever dwindling sanity, she had a very strong following and was still very powerful.

Ai screamed again, tears flowing from her eyes. Suki couldn't help but feel bad for her. She was still so very young and her husband had already been killed in the Water tribe Fleet who had gone out to meet the Fire Nation before they could get to the Tribe. They had failed. Now Ai, the only woman whose time of birth was the only one close enough to be the one, was in terrible pain. Suki and Katara exchanged glances; she might not make it.

Ai gasped, looking in Suki's direction. "Is – is my baby the one?"

Suki took the girl's hand in both of hers. "It would seem like it."

Ai nodded, swallowing. "Please. Please, take care of my baby. Raise her right and take care of my baby. Please."

Suki could only nod as Ai cried out in pain again, giving one last almighty push.

A shrill cry pierced the air. Ai's hand went limp in Suki's almost unexpectedly. Suki looked to her to see her eyes were closed and another Waterbender shook her head sadly.

"Suki." Suki turned just as Katara placed the baby in her arms, still crying, wrapped in cloth. She went to protest when she look down at the little child who was staring up at her with the most beautiful blue-eyes, though they were tear-filled.

Smiling slightly, she rocked the baby in her arms. "Hello pretty girl."

Suki looked up to Katara who was breathing heavily. She shook her head when she saw Suki's concern. "I'm fine . . . just slightly exhausted. Poor thing," she added, looking over at Ai who was now had a cloth drawn over her head.

"Both of them," Suki said, indicating the baby in her arms. An elder woman appeared in front of her. She smiled softly before taking the baby from her arms.

"This little one is a blessing," the woman said softly as she walked from the room.

"Come on," Katara said, pushing herself to her feet. Suki rushed to help her up. "There'll be a ceremony."

* * *

Indeed the remaining natives of the Northern Water Tribe were gathered in the Chief's Hall not but a few hours later.

Suki, Sokka, Katara, Mei, and Iroh sat at the head table with the Elderly Chief Arnook, who stood when the old Waterbending woman brought forth the baby, placing her in his arms. Chief Arnook turned to his people. "Here is the new Avatar!"

A cheer rose up for which the baby girl cooed in the old man's arm. He smiled down at her before looking back up again. "She is parentless and at a great risk from Azula's scorn. While this great Tribe has proven impenetrable before, but that may prove true again. This child must be taken somewhere where she'll be able to grow safely without fear of tyranny. Who will care for this child?"

There was a long almost tangible silence. It would be a great honor to raise the child but a great danger also. Who would risk so much?

Suki bit her lip before turning to look at Sokka, who gazed back at her. He could almost see what she was thinking and they didn't have any children yet of their own. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

"More sure than anything," she replied softly.

Taking a deep breath, Sokka nodded before taking Suki's hand and pulling her to her feet. "We'll talk care of the baby."

There was a slight murmur in the crowd as the couple stepped forward. Katara was smiling at the two of them. They'd give the baby a good home, she thought. She, Mei, and Iroh had to find a hiding place now and, seeing as how Houjin and Meifeng were both so young and Katara was due to have her second child in a few months' time, there was no way they'd be able to support another baby. Sokka and Suki would make good parents.

Chief Arnook gazed at the two of them as they stood beside him. "Do the both of you swear to protect the child as if she were your own?"

Sokka and Suki looked at each other once before. "We do," Sokka said.

"Do you swear to ensure that she is raised properly?"

"We do."

"Do you swear, on her sixteenth birthday, to ensure that she receives the knowledge and training that she needs to become the next Avatar?'

"We do."

Arnook nodded. "Very well. It is settled. She is now your full and complete responsibility."

* * *

That night found Suki and Sokka in one of the guest houses, the baby in Suki's arms. They would all be leaving early tomorrow morning, Sokka and Suki on a boat for Kyoshi Island (at least a week and a half journey) whilst the rest flew on Appa to distract those who may choose to follow. No one would expect the little Waterbender baby to have been sent off so soon and especially to such a place where should wouldn't receive the Waterbending training that she needed. She would be safe there.

Sokka moved to sit next to his wife, leaning over to look at his new daughter. The baby yawned, her eyes closed and Sokka couldn't help but smile. "What should we call her? Little Avatar?"

Suki shook her head. "She isn't the Avatar yet. What about a traditional Water tribe name? Something like home."

"Sakari is a nice name," Sokka said. "It kind of sounds like ours. People will never guess she was adopted."

"I like it." Suki smiled down at the small little person in her arms. "Hello there. Welcome to the family, Baby Sakari."

* * *

**A/N: WHOO! Long opening chapter! I hope you guys like this. It's a new one for you. Apologize for the early brutality but what can you do? Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.**


	2. Revealed

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Real Quick: thanks to everyone who reviewed: cj; for those who added this to Alerts: mermaidangel123; their favorites: Kimjuni2.; and added me as Fav Author: Another Dead Hero. You guys rock! On with the show!**

* * *

_**16 Years Later**_

_Houjin stood in the middle of fire and chaos._

_He wasn't exactly sure where he was but it was dark all around him, except for the flames. _

_He hadn't caused this. He knew it hadn't been him. He would never do something like this!_

_People are screaming and there's a laughter so cruel echoing through the air that he covers his ears, closing his eyes._

"_This is just a dream," he muttered to himself. "Just a dream. Wake up, Houjin. Wake up. _Please_ wake up."_

"_Houjin."_

_Houjin opened his eyes._

_Standing in front of him was a woman who appeared to be large than life itself. She emitted power so great that Houjin took a step back. She was surrounded in darkness and he couldn't make out any of her features except her eyes, which glowed bright white._

_The Avatar._

"_Houjin." She held out her hand to him and he reached forward to meet her._

_Salvation was here._

"Houjin!"

A splash of water hit him in the face.

Houjin sat up with a jerk. "What was that for?" he yelled, shaking the water from his long black hair.

"Hold still a minute!" Shui cried. Quickly he bended the water back into the skins at his side.

Houjin ran his hand through his hair to check that it was completely dry, glaring at the younger boy whose blue eyes sparkled with hidden laughter. "You could have just called my name."

Shui shook his head. "'Firebenders rise with the sun'. If you ask me that's a load of Flying Boar dung, knowing you. Come on. Meifeng will be up here next if you don't hurry."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Houjin murmured rubbing his eyes.

Shui shook his head again, mumbling as he went down the stairs. Houjin got up to get dressed.

Today was the day.

* * *

"WAKE UP!"

Sakari did so, glaring at the monsters.

Nine-year-old twins Junjie and Huan hopped up and down on her bed.

"Sakari! Sakari!" Junjie cried.

"It's your birthday!" Huan yelled.

"I know, I know!" Sakari grabbed the both of them around their waists and pulled them down on top of her. The three of them laughed before Sakari pushed them away. "Get out so I can get dressed okay?"

The two boys complied, shouting and pushing as they ran out the door and down the steps. Sakari shook her head, getting up. It could only be considered a relief that she was a morning person.

Stretching her arms above her head, she grabbed her clothes. Her mother said that natives of Kyoshi Island used to wear blue. Now, Sakari pulled on the brown tights, wrapping a tight sleeved red tunic around her body and grabbing her head scarf on her way out of the room, tying it around her mass of brown curls.

"Morning mom," she said as she got downstairs.

Suki, at work cooking breakfast, turned, smiling. "Morning birthday girl! Sorry the twins woke you up so early."

"It's fine." Sakari picked up a list from the table. "Where's dad?"

"Oh, keeping patrol." Suki grinned. "The Fire nation guards aren't scheduled to come back until tomorrow. Your birthday fell on a good day."

Sakari smiled. Tonight would be a celebration for all those who were born today. They normally had such a party but what with Fire Nation guards always on patrol, they never had much fun. Today was especially her day, however. She was turning sixteen after all.

"Is this the list of chores?" she asked.

Suki looked up. "Yes. I was just about to run out after I got breakfast ready for your brothers.

"I can do it. I don't mind, mom, really," she added when her mother looked about to protest. She grabbed a basket from besides the door and her mother tossed her the coin purse. "Be right back."

Sakari hurried out the door into the sunshine.

Kyoshi Island, despite their happy appearance, had not escaped the Queen of all Nation's reign, far from it. Azula, in attempt to rid herself of anything and anyone that might oppose her, had the Dai Li and whoever else had submitted to her reign travel the world, destroying the competition. Kyoshi's shrine and temple had been destroyed, along with the Kyoshi Warriors training hut. Omashu had once again been taken over, though this time with devastating affects seeing as how King Boomi was long gone from this world. Even Fire Nation master swordsman, Piandao, (who had been Sokka's master, Sakari had learned), had been taking prisoner for fighting against Azula's minions. The same happened with Ty Lee, who Sakari had never met but who was obviously a good friend of Suki's.

Of course, the search for the new Avatar was still on going. Water tribes had been scourged and attacked and Waterbenders who fought were now locked away or, worse, killed, the Northern Water Tribe all but destroyed and the Southern Water tribe almost completely obliterated. Sakari figured that was why her father and mother had moved here. She knew that her Aunt Katara (though she had never met the other woman) had also gone in hiding, though she couldn't blame her. It was dangerous for a Waterbender or any member of the Water Tribes these days. But they were all alive and safe and that's what really counted in Sakari's book.

"Careful!" Sakari snapped from her thoughts to see old Enlai struggling with a large barrel of water on his shoulder as three small children ran around his legs. "Hey! I said watch –"

The barrel went tumbling to the ground and the kids ran off, laughing. Enlai shook his fist after them, crying out, "Rotten kids!"

Sakari smiled, setting her basket down. "Don't go too hard on them, Enlai. They're just excited."

Sakari glanced about before raising her hands, bending the water back into the barrel. Enlai shook his head. "Sometimes I forget you can do that."

"Hard to get away with it when Fire Nation scum is running all over the place," Sakari agreed.

"True, indeed," Enlai responded. "But no matter. You have a birthday today!"

"I do." Sakari smiled. "Will you be at the celebration tonight?"

"Nope. I'm told old for those sorts of things. But I'll send you a present later today."

The rest of the morning went about in the same way as Sakari picked up her groceries. Some of the neighbors even gave her presents on the spot, smiling happily. One would have assumed it was only her birthday today.

"Here you go Rou," Sakari said, handing the older woman a parcel from her mother.

"Thank you, dear," she said, smiling. "Oh and I have something especially for you."

The old woman scooted back into her house, disappearing for a moment. When she returned, she held an old looking scroll. "I discovered this long ago in my travels. It is one of only three so you must take good care of it. I figure, though, that you need it more than I do."

She handed the scroll over, Sakari setting her basket down again to open it. "Whoa," she said, softly.

Sakari was now the proud owner of an old Waterbending scroll. Oh yes, she certainly had need for this and told Rou that as she thanked her, making her way back home.

"Mom?" she called quietly, dropping off the basket.

No answer.

Grinning Sakari ran back out the door passing few people on the way. They were all most likely preparing for tonight's festivities. It wasn't long before she was crashing through the trees and onto the beach shore, where she slipped out of her shoes and outer attire to the sarashi underneath, hiding her things under a nearby bush. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the cold water.

She came here often, when no one suspected it. Opening her eyes, she saw the Giant Koi fish swim past and possibly even the shadow of the Unagi but she ignored them all, swimming deeper underneath the rocks and then up in the secret cavern that she had found.

Sakari burst above through the surface, swimming to land. She had been much younger when she found this place, hanging onto the back of Giant Koi when the fish had dived underneath the water. She had seen the opening in the bottom of the rocks and had swum in to discover this hidden rock cavern. It was great for practicing her Waterbending without fear of the Fire Nation Guards catching her.

Sakari wrung the water from her hair before moving to the edge of the shore, lifting her arms. She took deep breaths, practicing pushing and pulling with the gentle wave of the water in the cave. She rose the water, streaming it back and forth in front of her. She couldn't do much, not having much time to practice but what she could do was better than most; she was after all the only Waterbender on Kyoshi Island.

Letting the water splash back to the ground, she opened the Waterbending scroll Rou had given her, bending the water from it so that it was dry once more. "Oh," she said, noticing the picture of a Waterbender with water around them in the shape of octopus arms, "that looks promising."

Rolling the scroll up, she began to practice, determined to become a Waterbending Master even if she had to train herself.

* * *

"Happy birthday Sakari!"

Sakari looked over her shoulder, trying to catch who ever had called her name but of course they were long gone, mixed up in those who were dancing. "Thanks!"

Sakari was enjoying these festivities even if she was exhausted. After practicing (and failing) the "Octopus" for an hour or so she had to swim back to the mainland and then her mom was waiting for her for their own practice (though the Kyoshi Warriors were supposed to have been 'disbanded' that didn't mean Suki's own daughter wouldn't learn a few things from the leader).

"Sakari!" Her friends Bo and Lan stood close behind her, giving her hugs as she turned to find them. Bo grabbed her into a huge. "Happy birthday friend!"

"This is a much better festival than last year!" Lan said over the loud call of the Tsungi horn, pipas, and the zheng. She grinned. "The merchants are even out selling jewelry."

"Who do you think they are?" Bo asked, gesturing towards the stage where Chief Oyaji sat with three other people, all of whom were very unfamiliar.

One was a girl, who couldn't have been more than eighteen older who was smiling around. She had long wavy brown hair pulled back in a tail, very pretty gray eyes, and her skin was dark, like Sakari's, though not as. Next to her sat a boy that could only be her younger brother, though his hair was black and his eyes blue. And on the end of their row saw a very handsome boy, his jet black hair loose around his head, hanging into golden eyes. . . . Firebender. . . . Those eyes scanned the crowd now, as if he were searching.

"Why would they invite a Firebender?" Sakari whispered.

"Maybe he's part of that huge rebellion they were talking about?" Bo suggested.

"He's a very good looking," Lan said with a smile which caused Sakari to laugh.

The crowd suddenly drew to a hush and everyone turned as Chief Oyaji stepped up, the firelight making the gray in his brown beard twinkle. His brown eyes glistened with excitement. "Kyoshi Island! Today is a celebratory day! Today we celebrate the birthdays of our own children!"

Bo ruffled Sakari's hair. "They grow up so fast," the seventeen-year-old said, sniffing.

Sakari elbowed him in his side as Chief Oyaji called for attention again, looking more or less serious. "But today we also celebrate something monumental. Today brings about an event that hasn't occurred on Kyoshi Island in over three hundred years. . . .

"Sixteen years ago, Avatar Aang risked his life to save his family, his children, who sit behind me now, and friends from Azula's attack on Ba Sing Se. In his place, a new Avatar was born to the Northern Water Tribe and was rushed away to protect her from the evil that was Azula."

A murmur went up around the crowd. The Avatar was a live?

Chief Oyaji raised his hands again. "Yes, my friends. There is hope! There is hope for the Avatar is very much among the living and among us!"

Chief Oyaji stepped farther up. "I have the pleasure of presenting to you all, my friends, my family, my Village . . . Avatar Sakari."

A silence greater than anything took hold of the crowd as Chief Oyaji kneeled. The three kids on stage followed suit. Sakari turned and saw Sokka and Suki standing now at the edge of the stage. Suki looked close to tears but they both kneeled. Soon everyone was kneeling in Sakari's direction, even Lan and Bo.

Sakari stood in the middle of them all, shocked still and speechless.

Avatar Sakari.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! Gosh this chapter took me forever to write. I hope you all liked it! I'll be going out of town for the next week so there probably won't be an update for a while but there will be when I get back next Saturday. See you soon!**


	3. Strength

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

**A/N: I'm Back! Lol, just wanted to say thanks to those who have added this story to their Alerts: rider6 and M.E. Potter; To their Favorites: M. and Another Dead Hero. You Guys are Marvelous! **

* * *

Meifeng let her hair down, running a whale bone comb through it. She was exhausted, having traveled all day and she couldn't wait to sleep because, clearly, they were going to be traveling again tomorrow.

She was, obviously, the last Airbender, now that her father was gone. She barely recalled him, though she had faint memories of his smile and she still owned his staff. They had shared the same eyes her mother told her and it was often that she thought if she stared hard enough at pictures of him, she could see his face delicately built into hers. With him gone though, she had to learn the little that she knew of Airbending from scrolls, an incredibly hard task but she practiced and, from what she knew from her mother's stories of her father's bending, she was making great progress.

The same could be said about Houjin, the only Firebender left in freedom now that they knew of. His mother, obviously not a Firebender, did the best she could to teach him how to fight and take care of himself, but the fire that burned within him had been hard to get under control without his father's help. He barely remembered the man though and it was Great-Uncle Iroh, who had passed away last year, who had taught him a lot about his imprisoned father and Firebending though not as much as he could have learned. However, even without the usual instruction, at the age of seventeen he was still very good.

Shui must have been the only well taught one in the group, their mother being a Waterbending Master. At sixteen, he was close to being the same. However, it angered him slightly; not that he'd wish ill against his mother. It would have been nice to be able to help the Avatar master Waterbending but instead she would be taken to Katara. Houjin and Meifeng would play more of a role in training the Avatar than he would. They, though, didn't have much choice.

Shui and Houjin reclined on mats in front of her, both looking equally contemplative, though Houjin looked upset. Meifeng frowned at the boy. As the eldest, she felt it was her job, while they were away, to act as 'mother'. It wasn't something she preferred or that she felt she was any good at but while her own mother was not here, someone needed to step up.

"What's wrong, Houjin?" she asked, bending the air to rustle his hair.

The boy shrugged, lying down with his arms underneath his head. An awkward silence hung in the room. Shui streamed water back and forth between his hands. "So . . . what does everyone think about Sakari?"

"I think she's sweet," Meifeng said quickly recalling the smile that came to her 'cousin's' face when they had all been introduced. It wasn't as if she had just been told that she the one meant to bring balance and peace to the world but as if they were all simply having a family reunion.

Houjin scoffed, causing Meifeng to look angrily in his direction. "What?" she asked.

" 'Sweet' isn't going defeat Azula," he muttered. "She's a ditz and she acts weak. She doesn't look at all like an Avatar should look, not at all how like Avatar Aang looked."

Truth be told, he was disappointed. She wasn't at all what he expected. He knew she'd be a sixteen-year-old girl but he had expected someone – stronger, someone more confident. Sakari appeared unsure of everything, even herself. How on earth was she supposed to be an Avatar?

"Well she isn't Avatar Aang," Meifeng declared, the usual twinge of hurt filling her at the mention of her father.

"In a way she is, isn't she?" Houjin argued, sitting up. "She's his reincarnation."

"But she's still someone different! You will not treat her like she's just some – I don't know, weapon!"

"I never said I was going to treat her like a weapon, I –!"

"Shui, what do you think?" Meifeng interrupted.

Shui looked up. He was used to the two of the fight and Meifeng using him as a way to diffuse it. Maybe with Sakari they'd stop using him as a buffer. She was after all the balance between Nations.

"She wasn't what I was expecting," Shui admitted, earning a triumphant 'Ha' from Houjin, "but I like her. She is kind, which the Avatar needs to be, but I don't think she's defenseless. Aunt Suki, after all, was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors and Uncle Sokka is a master Swordsman. I'm sure she's got the potential to be a great Avatar."

Meifeng was smiling over at Shui who looked out the window at the moon. He hated taking sides. "She's stronger than she looks, I'm sure."

* * *

Suki stood staring up the stairs. Junjie and Huan sat at the table, quiet for once. She figured it was because they were still trying to process everything that happened that night.

"So," Junjie started, breaking the silence. "Sakari's not our sister?"

"Don't be stupid," Huan said, angrily. "She's been here ever since we were born. Of course she's our sister."

"Your brother is right." The three of them looked up as Sokka entered. He grinned ruefully. "Well except for that first part."

Huan sulked. "Sorry, Junjie."

"She'll always be your older sister," Sokka said, rustling Junjie's reddish hair. "Why don't you two go get ready for bed?"

The twins jumped up from the table, running out of the room to theirs. "How great is it that our sister is the Avatar?"

Sokka approached Suki, taking her hand. "How is she?" he asked.

Suki shrugged. "She's been in there ever since she met Houjin, Shui, and Meifeng. She's probably cleaning. You know how she gets."

"I do."

"I feel horrible," Suki said. Sokka hated seeing her so upset or close to tears. It wasn't an emotion he was used to seeing the Kyoshi Warrior Leader sport. "I'm a horrible mom. We should have told her long ago, when she was old enough to understand. She probably hates us."

"I'm sure she doesn't. And there was nothing we could do. We were told to wait and so we did. I'm sure she's just trying to process this, just like everyone else. I'm going to go talk to her. If we leave her up there long enough, she'll scrub a hole through the floor."

Suki smiled slightly, tilting her head up as Sokka leaned down, meeting her in a kiss. Sokka grinned. "And for what it's worth, you make a great mother."

Suki's smile widened, which was what Sokka had been aiming for and he ran up the stairs. Taking a deep breath he knocked on his daughter's door. "Sakari?"

There was a muffled 'Come in' and Sokka opened the door, walking inside. Indeed the room was spotless. She had really scoured this time and now she was searching around as if looking for something else to clean. On her bed, however, lay her mother's old Kyoshi Warrior outfit along with the fans. He was sure it fit her now, seeing as how she was the same age her mother had been when she had worn the same outfit.

Sakari looked up at her father with a strained smile on her face. "I'm trying to figure out what to, I don't know, go as. I don't have any Water Tribe clothes but I don't know if I could walk around in my Warrior outfit for however long I should be gone."

"You're mom used to do it all the time," Sokka said with a hint of a smile. "But I think you should go however you feel comfortable. Just be yourself."

Sakari nodded, moving the warriors outfit off to the side, sitting down on her bed. Sokka sat next to her. "I think I'll take the fans. Houjin told me I wasn't to bring much. He told me that any provisions we got would be bought or hunted."

"Houjin can be a little extreme," Sokka said, rubbing the back of his head. "He's just like his dad, really."

The girl nodded again, smiling a little. "I like Meifeng and Shui and it was nice to finally see them after hearing so much from you. I never thought I'd meet a fellow Waterbender, let alone an Airbender, even if their not truly my cousins."

Sokka's smile fell and he reached over to touch her hand. "Sakari –"

"You don't have to explain dad." Sakari looked up at him, her smile a little wider. "I'm not stupid. I could kind of tell, you know, that you two weren't my real parents. I mean, despite the fact that you're Water Tribe, you're not a Bender and neither is mom. Besides that, I don't really look like either of you, not like Junjie and Huan do. But it's okay. As far as I'm concerned, you two are my real parents and I love you just the same and I'm going to miss you terribly while I'm gone."

Sokka smiled, pulling his daughter into his arms. He knew he had raised a smart kid. "You're strong. You'll be okay."

* * *

Houjin woke up suddenly, not quite sure why. Taking a deep breath, he moved to the window, looking up at the sky and the moon. This was something he couldn't do often, seeing the moon was a rarity.

It was beautiful tonight. The moon was full. He thought again about the story he had heard from Sokka once, about the moon spirit. He had scoffed at the idea of falling in love with the moon but if he had to be honest he guessed he could tell why.

He heard something that sounded like a small thump and he leaned out his window.

Squinting, he could just make out the small form of a girl, walking. The top of her head was covered in the usual handkerchief but he could see the brown curls that shimmered in the moon's light.

He knew it.

Sakari was weak, completely and totally weak. She was sneaking away in the middle of the night! How dare she? After everything everyone went through for her!

Careful not to wake Shui, he slipped on his vest and shoes and following Sakari's lead and climbing out the window. He landed on the ground softly and followed after her, blending into the shadows.

He followed her through the small forest that lay on the outskirts of Kyoshi Island and stopped behind a nearby tree when she reached the shore, sitting on a rock. He knew it was too good to be true. This girl was no Avatar. There was no way she'd be able to handle the intense –

"I'm scared, Yue."

He tuned into her now, watching as she flipped open her Warrior's fan and then closed it, repeating the movement. She gazed up at the moon like Houjin had not moments before. If he could recall, Yue was the name of the Princess from Sokka's story.

"I don't think I can do this," Sakari was saying, "but – but there are a lot of people counting on me. A whole entire world has been waiting for me and I never knew. How did – how did you do it? How were you able to make the choice that ended your life but saved your Nation? How was Avatar Aang able to stand up and do what he did at only twelve years old? I'm not like either of you."

She stood and Houjin prepared himself to step out from his hiding place. He wouldn't let her leave. He'd tie her up and drag her around the world to learn the elements if that was what it came down to.

"But I'll stay," she said, still looking up at the moon and surprising Houjin. "I'll stay not because I have to but because people need me to. But If I'm going to do this, Yue, I need you with me always, okay? Moon spirit to Waterbending Avatar. I'll be looking for you."

With that, Sakari nodded and turned on her heel, heading back towards the village. Houjin stepped back behind his tree. He was surprised to say the least. He had expected her to run.

She passed his tree and he started to sneak after her, a twig snapping under his foot.

_Thwack!_

Sakari had spun so fast that Houjin had just barely had time to duck back behind his tree. He stood perfectly still as she approached and could hear the crunch of the tree bark. She walked away again and Houjin peeked out to see her dusting bark from her fan. When she was out of side, he came out from his hiding space, surprised at what he found.

A hole was now dug into the center of the thick tree's trunk.

* * *

**A/n: Whoa! Super strength Sakari! I hope you guys liked this chapter. I had a good time writing it. See you next time.**


	4. New

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

Sakari walked out of her home that morning with little to nothing. The only things she had dared to bring (to avoid Houjin getting angry with her) was the pack of food her mother had packed for them all and her Warrior fans. Even still she felt as if she had over packed.

Suki and Sokka walked beside her towards the Village square where a proud statue of Kyoshi had once stood. They had to move quickly because the Island's Fire Nation Guards would be back soon enough. People milled about though, standing outside of their houses.

Some bowed, some waved and cried out farewells, but mostly they cheered. She heard a lot of 'We're counting on you' and 'Do us proud'. One man completely had a meltdown, screaming and foaming at the mouth. Sokka quickly rushed Sakari away from him.

"Sakari!" The girl turned and was immediately bombarded by Bo and Lan, who wrapped themselves around her so tightly it was almost hard to breathe.

"Oh we'll miss you so much," Lan said, crying. Bo was definitely trying not to cry and kept a tightly strained smile on his face.

"I'll be back before you know it," Sakari replied, causing her friends to roll their eyes. She laughed. "Think of this as a way to get away from my ever present optimism."

"We love your ever present optimism," Bo told her, sniffing. "We got you something, too, for your birthday but with all the excitement we weren't able to give it to you."

Lan smiled, pulling her a bracelet from her pocket. It was beautiful. Resting on a green band was a glass cut of a Panda Lily. Sakari had only really ever seen pictures of the rare black and white flower but it was beautiful in glass too. Bo put the bracelet around her left wrist and she hugged them again. "I'll think about you two always."

Sokka touched her arm and Sakari smiled at her tearful friends again before heading back towards the Square. Sokka and Suki continued forward but she froze, however, just on the outskirts at the sight in front of her. "What is that?" she asked, still shocked.

Suki smiled back at her, resting her hand on the nose of the weirdest looking animal Sakari had ever seen. This thing was covered in fur and it had six legs and a large arrow down his snout. Sitting on his neck was Meifeng, his reins in her hands and on his back in a very large saddle were Houjin and Shui. "This is Appa, a sky bison. He belonged to Avatar Aang."

"He's very friendly," Meifeng called to her. "He'll take to anyone who isn't shooting fireballs at him."

Swallowing, Sakari walked forward to Suki who had her hand out. Sakari took that hand and was pulled forward in front of Appa. "Eh, hi there," she said, grinning.

The beast sniffed her, Sakari fearing the wind would pull her up into his nose. When that didn't happen, she breathed a sigh of relief . . . and cried out in shock and disgust as his large tongue shot out, licking her from her toe to her head, practically taking off her headscarf. Shui was laughing and Meifeng grinned down at her. "That means he likes you."

"Nice to meet you too," Sakari said, shaking bison spit from her arms.

"Come on," Houjin spoke up. "We've got to get going."

Still slightly shaken, Sakari bent the spit from her outfit, throwing it to the ground. Sokka and Suki approached her then, pulling her into their arms. "We'll miss you," Suki whispered.

"I'll miss you too," Sakari replied smiling.

Sokka looked up to the three other teenagers on the bison. "You guys look out for her."

"She's in safe and capable hands, Uncle Sokka," Shui said, grinning. "Come on, Sakari."

Sakari approached Appa who lay flat on the ground. "Do I just –?"'

Houjin sighed loudly. "Meifeng could you just help her up so we don't waste anymore time?"

Sakari heard the other girl mumble loudly (something about Houjin; that much she was sure), before she felt herself being lifted into the air. Houjin grabbed her hands and pulled her into the saddle before she could really comprehend that Meifeng had just used Airbending on her.

Shui was still smiling. "You'll get used to it," he said. "All set back here!"

Sakari moved to the edge of the saddle, waving down at her parents who looked as if they couldn't have been more proud.

"Hang on, Sakari," Meifeng called back to her. "Yip, yip."

Sakari grasped onto the edge of the saddle as the magnificent beast lifted into the air. She had never ridden a bison before, though she had heard legends of them and stories from Sokka. She had never thought she'd be riding one either. Up into the air they soared, high above the people of her Island, all of them waving and cheering. In the very far distance, she could make out the black smoke of a ship, barreling in their general direction.

"Trouble," Meifeng said, jumping back into the saddle with the rest of them. "Ready Shui?"

Her brother nodded and they lifted their arms as Appa flew higher. Sakari watched in fascination, torn between watching her family and friends turn into ants below them and the bending going on right in front of her. Her problems were solved when the island was blocked by fog . . . no, a cloud. Looking back up, Sakari saw Shui and Meifeng moving their arms in circular motion, the cloud following the pattern.

Cloudbending?

"You look sick." Sakari looked to Houjin who was watching her.

The girl shook her head. "Just I, eh – I've never been up this high before."

Before yesterday, admitting she was scared of heights wouldn't have felt so embarrassing. Now, as the Avatar, it seemed slightly pathetic considering what she would have to learn later. As it was, Houjin scoffed. "Great. An Avatar who's afraid of heights. We've hit the jackpot, everyone. Ouch!"

Houjin glared up at Meifeng who had stopped in her bending to knock him upside the back of his head. Shui, however, smiled over in Sakari's direction. "Don't worry about it. It's just something else you'll get used to. We haven't got far to go anyway."

Sakari nodded, moving from the edge. "S-so what's been going on?"

"What do you mean?" Shui asked.

"We never got much news outside of Kyoshi. The outside world never reached us much."

The three friends exchanged glances but it was Meifeng who spoke. "It's pretty much the same everywhere. Azula's taken over everything that she could. Nations don't matter anymore because every place is the same according to her. Cities like Ba Sing Se or Omashu don't exist anymore. That's why everyone has been restricted to Fire Nation clothing. They've taken any benders they could find and locked them up or – or worse."

"You haven't missed much being on the Island," Shui continued.

"If you don't mind me asking," Sakari began hesitantly, "how did you three learn your bending?"

"We three are part of a hidden society," Houjin responded, surprisingly. When Sakari looked to him, he was staring off into the distance. "It was started by Master Katara after Avatar Aang's death. It's filled to the brim with people from every Nation, even the Fire Nation, some benders, some not but mostly not. Most benders who weren't killed or taken captive work for Azula. There's a pretty big group of them and they are the ones who watch places like your Island or just hunt people like us down. People come to our hideout when they need a safe place to get away from the destruction and people leave when they want to try to prove something, try to strike out against Azula's power but it never works, obviously."

Sakari stared at Houjin, startled by his bluntness. The other two didn't say anything, obviously used to this and it was obviously the truth. They traveled in silence then, leaving Sakari to think. She hadn't realized she had been so sheltered, her whole island had. She touched the petals of the panda lily bracelet. Though it was easily understandable that there was a world outside of Kyoshi, it had never felt like it. No one died on Kyoshi, no one was hunted. . . . Now, here she was going out into the open where everything was happening. It was exciting . . . and terrifying.

Shui cleared his throat. "We're nearly there," he said with a smile. "Want to help me out Sakari?"

"Eh, okay," she replied unsure. Houjin was watching her again with this look that she couldn't quite decipher.

Meifeng grinned at Sakari, touching her gently on the arm. "You'll do fine."

The girl bounced up front, seating on Appa's neck and grabbing up the reins. "Ready, boy?"

Appa snorted and they began their descent. Looking over the saddle, Sakari saw nothing but water. They were ages away from land it seemed.

"All you have to do is follow me," Shui told her gently, holding out his arms. "Just watch my movements."

Sakari nodded, holding out her arms also. As soon as Appa's large paws touched the surface of the water, Shui raised his arms, the water around them raising in one large orb. Sakari watched amazed. This was definitely more than she'd ever been able to do. They dove under the water, the orb acting like an air bubble.

Snapping back to reality, Sakari began to follow Shui, copying him as he moved his arms in waving circular motions, watching the water swirl faster around them now that two Waterbenders were working and the fish swim past.

"You're getting it," Shui said to her with a grin. "Just loosen up a bit. Waterbending isn't stiff."

Meifeng pulled on Appa's reigns, leading him into a small opening in the rock face. "You're about to see our wonderful home, Sakari," the girl said, smiling back over her shoulder.

Houjin scoffed, earning a glare from Meifeng. They traveled through the cavern, breaking the surface of a large lake. Sakari and Shui dropped their arms, the water dropping also. There were large vessels sitting at the edge of the water, tethered to posts around the edge. They weren't ships exactly, she realized.

"Submarines," Houjin explained. "They travel underwater with the help of Waterbenders."

"Your dad invented them," Shui interjected.

Sakari was able to gaze at the machines with a new appreciation, even as she struggled to get down from Appa. Her dad always seemed to be really goofy. Her mom had told her otherwise of course, but he was always funny Sokka to her. Now she understood what her mother was talking about.

"Come on," Meifeng said. "Mom told us to bring you straight to her."

Sakari nodded, following her three teachers up another small path that led out of the cavern. Not far ahead, Sakari could see dim lights, not sunshine but dozens upon dozens of torches. When the reached the flat ground, she soon understood why.

The village was entirely underground, full of tiny wooden huts as far as the eyes could see, regular people, Waterbenders, Earthbenders scuttled about, some training and others just talking with friends and at the very back stood a incredibly large hut, it's shadow falling over the rest.

"We're built underneath the city that used to be known as Chin Village," Shui told her as they walked towards the large building.

"I've heard about it," Sakari nodded. It was only apart of the very first lesson they were taught when they younger. Of course, Fire Nation didn't know that this was what they were taught. Everyone was supposed to learn the history of the Queen of all Nations and her people.

As they walked, Sakari watched skilled benders at work, amazed by it all until they stopped to watch _her. _Whispers filled the area.

"It's her."

"It's the Avatar."

"Go. Go tell the others."

It felt as if she were back on Kyoshi. People bowed, stared at her in awed. This was something she was never going to be used to.

"Mom is looking forward to meeting you," Meifeng said happily when they reached their destination. She pushed aside the cloth door, holding it open for her. "We'll meet up with you later to show you where you'll be staying while you're here."

"Don't be nervous," Shui instructed when Sakari hesitated. "Mom's tough but she doesn't bite. She just likes to get to know her students. Go on."

Sakari waited a moment, wondering if Houjin would say something but he wasn't even looking at her. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the hut, the silence extraordinary. The cloth door fell closed behind her, leaving her by herself in what appeared to be a practice room.

It was empty today but Sakari could see the loose ground where Earthbenders worked furiously and to the right of that she could see puncture holes in the wall, as if from daggers or swords.

But the area that really caught her attention was the water barrels set up in a circle. In the middle a woman stood with her back to the door, the water floating from the barrels around her as she manipulated it, streaming a large amount of water above her head. The water fell rushing to her feet before rising again in eight whips, forming tentacles at her feet.

The Octopus!

Sakari gasped and the woman turned around, brown hair flying over her shoulder. Blue eyes softened at the sight of her and the water separated, back into the barrels. "It's about time. I was beginning to think you all got lost."

Gaining back her composure, Sakari bowed. "Shifu Katara."

The girl stayed there until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stood straight again to find Katara standing in front of her. The older woman smiled softly. "You look like your mother."

In the blink of an eye, the smile fell and Katara was walking back to the water barrels. "You understand why you're here, don't you?"

"I – of course I do."

"So you understand that considering you haven't the proper training as a Waterbender that you're far behind concerning?"

"Yes, I –"

"So you realize that I will not waste time with whining or complaining or anything like that?"

"I –"

"Do you understand that you will be pushed in order to catch you up to –"

"I know my powers aren't that great," Sakari interrupted, softly, her head bowed. "I know I'm behind everyone else who would have been learning how to Waterbend. I know what I've have been charged to do and I know I may not be what everyone expected the Avatar to be, not yet but I'm dedicated. I'll – I'll work hard and I'll keep up. Uncle Sokka talked about you fondly and, growing up, I've always wondered about my Waterbending Aunt, waited to meet you. I'm honored already that, even if you didn't have much of a choice, you're willing to teach me and I'll feel even more grateful once you have taught me all you know, Aunt – Shifu Katara."

"It's Aunt." When she looked up, Katara was smiling at her. "Show me what you know."

* * *

The Fire Nation Colony of the plains was silent, nearly peaceful in the middle of the night. Stars shone above with a bright moon, illuminating the guards who patrolled the roads.

A flash of red cloth.

A guard spun around, having seen the movement out of the corner of his eye. "Halt!" he called.

All lay silent.

Roasted duck sat cooling in a window around the corner from that spot, but it was snatched up, disappearing as if it had never been there in the first place.

"You there!"

A guard ran down the street, stopping and posing in his fighting stance. In front of him stood a figure, black trousers that stopped just below his knees and a red sleeveless tunic attached to a hood.

"Turn around now!" the guard cried.

The stranger did so, pulling two moonlit katanas from the crisscrossed sheathes on his back, head lowered. He didn't speak but the guard heard something. It sounded like, a small whistle, a tune, coming from the figure.

Flames ignited on the guard's hands. "Drop your weapons!"

The stranger looked up and the guard stepped back, faltering. The figures face was hidden in the shadows of their hood but the guard could just make out the smirk on his face and the glint of his eyes.

Red eyes.

"I-I I'm warning you!" The guard shouted trying to gain his composure.

The smirk grew and the figure 'tutted', shaking his head, mocking the guard.

The stranger spun, blades flashing in the light. As the blade in his left hand thrust in the guard's direction, so did a blast of fire. The guard moved to protect himself but he wasn't fast enough, sent flying backwards as the fire hit him in the chest, landing in a heap on the ground.

The stranger sheathed his blades, turning and continuing out on his way.

A flash of red cloth.

Silence filled the streets once more.

* * *

**A/N: Who is this mysterious person you ask? That's for me and Another Dead Hero to know and for you to find out later! Hope you liked it :-D See you next time.**


	5. Ready

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hello to new story alert readers: The Lady Clearwater and Noaku-The-Fire-Angel; and thanks for your review: life241 and scourge154!**

* * *

Azula sat on her throne in the city formerly known as Ba Sing Se. Behind her, torches glowed dimly with blue flames, pulsating as she breathed in and out, thinking.

For sixteen years now, her army, created of soldiers either willingly there or threatened, Firebenders and Earthbenders alike, had searched for the Avatar, a lone Waterbender. Though they had killed off many of the Waterbenders in both the Southern and Northern Water Tribes, she knew that far from all of them were actually dead. A good number had escaped and were living hidden among the colonies. At first, she had thought to just eliminated everyone who seemed suspicious but then who would be left to worship her?

So where was the Avatar she searched for? No babies close to the age of a newborn had been found when they had invaded the tribes. The Waterbender would be sixteen now. He or she could be half-way through the cycle for all Azula knew? Where would they hide the baby? Somewhere inconspicuous of course but –

Azula sat up on her throne. "Perhaps I haven't thought clearly enough. You there!" she called to the servant standing to the left of her throne. She didn't know whether the servant was Earth Kingdome or Water Tribe or her Nation born; it didn't matter. It was just another slave.

"Yes, milady?" the servant said, bowing low.

"Be a dear and go and fetch me Admiral Yaozu. Now."

The servant ran out of the room, leaving Azula and her ever flaming torches. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the servant on her right fidget, his eyes darting around the room.

"You!" she called out, startling the servant who hurried to stand in front of the throne.

He bowed. "Yes, milady?"

Azula watched him, saw the sweat drip from his forehead and hit the floor. "Do you fear me?"

"I-I revere you, Queen of all Nations, Dragon of the World, Ruler of –"

"Silence. You have not answered my question. Do you fear me?"

The servant was silent. Azula scoffed. "Get out of my face."

"Yes, milady." The servant spun and left the room, trying not to run but moving very fast.

"Pathetic," Azula sighed.

The first servant re-entered the room, bowing low. "Admiral Yaozu, as you requested, milady."

The man walked in then, tall and commanding. Gold eyes beneath a broad forehead, the nose crooked from being broken one too many times and his lips thin, molded into what would seem like a permanent scowl. His beard hung short and clipped to a perfect inch, hair drawn up into a top knot, the Fire Nation emblem resting there. Admiral Yaozu was not a nice man nor was he the type of man to joke with. Everything was business for him, from his work on the seas and over the Fire Nation Fleet to his arranged 'agreement' with the woman who bore his children or, in simpler terms, his wife.

The Admiral kneeled. "Queen Azula. I am honored that you have called upon me today."

"As you should," Azula replied, standing. "My patience has drawn thin, Admiral Yaozu. I have grown tired of this search for the Avatar."

"What do you purpose we do, my Queen?" Yaozu asked.

"Send your Fleets to the secluded islands. I figure the Avatar has been hidden there. However, I want you, especially, to make a special trip to Kyoshi. They have been a thorn in my side for years now. Show them that they are just as much apart of my kingdom as any other."

"Right away, milady." Azula nodded and Admiral Yaozu stood, making his way out of the throne room.

"Oh and Admiral?" Azula smirked at the man as he turned face her. "If any person refuses to present to you the Avatar, burn their village to the ground."

* * *

Sakari stood in the middle of the training hut, taking deep breaths, her eyes closed. Attached to her waist was a traditional Water Tribe waterskin, filled to the brim.

Aunt Katara had been an excellent teacher, patient, understanding, and kind. Now it was time to put her teachings to the test.

"_Water is the element of change__. The moon is the source of power in Waterbending, and the original Waterbenders learned from the moon by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides."_

A cry sounded to the west and her eyes snapped open. Turning ever so slightly, she took in the sight of the warrior heading towards her, club held high above his head.

He swung the club sideways at her head and she swooped under it, the water leaving the skin at her side with a flick of her wrist and forming a whip, knocking him hard in the stomach.

"_We follow the flow of energy. Let your defense become your offense and turn your opponent's strength against him."_

It was almost the same thing her mother had said when she was learning to fight with the fans.

She turned again as another warrior came at her from behind. The water she now held fell to the ground, running forward before shooting up, hard as ice to knock him back the way he had come from.

"_Don't rush yourself. Think slow movements and elegant forms. Evoke within yourself the feeling of flowing water."_

A warrior came at her from the front, closer than the other too. The water streamed along left arm to her right and she ducked as his punch slipped past her right ear, the water falling to the ground once more only to rise as an ice spike through his shirt, pinning him there.

"_And what do you suppose you do when you're out of water?"_ _Katara had asked._

_Sakari shrugged. "Use my fans, I suppose, my other fighting skills."_

"_Suppose you didn't have your fans or that you couldn't fight any other way. What do you do? Water is the element of change so you –?"_

_The girl bit her lip before looking up at her Aunt. "You – you adapt."_

The first warrior came running at her again, club at ready once more. Sakari smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow to her fingers where it turned into smaller ice spikes. When she flung her hand the shot out, catching the warriors club and knocking it away from him. He continued forward though, punching out at her. She used his momentum to pull him over her shoulder.

And it was finished.

Cheers arose off to the side and Sakari turned to Meifeng and Shui who were running in her direction. Houjin still stood off by himself but there was something different about his expression, Sakari decided. He didn't look as disappointed as he first had when he met her and that made her decidedly glad.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to Katara who was grinning at her. She grabbed her niece in her arms. "Great work!"

Meifeng reached her next, hugging her. "You know you could have taken more time to try and become a master. It's only been three weeks. Talk about fast learning!"

"I had a great teacher," Sakari said smiling. What she had done was far from Master bending but it was still good. Thanks to Aunt Katara, she could do so much more than she could when it had just been her in her private cove. A Waterbending Master at the age of sixteen. She felt as if she could do anything now.

"That was brilliant!" Shui cried. "What you did there, with the sweat! That was great!"

"She'll learn a lot more when she has you as her Shifu, Shui," Katara said suddenly, softly, gazing at her son.

Shui looked up at his mother and Sakari could see the surprise in his eyes. "Me? But mom you've taught her everything. There's nothing left to show her."

"Sure there is. You won't be here forever. Soon, you'll have to move on and you'll teach her because I know you can, Shifu Shui." Katara smiled at her son as he bowed to her before she threw her arms around him, much to his embarrassment.

The sixteen-year-old flushed, though he was clearly pleased at being considered as someone's Shifu and for his mother's praise. "Come on, mom."

Across the way, Houjin watched the four laugh and joke. Admittedly, he was impressed. Sakari had come a long way he saw and for that he was glad. His worries about her as an Avatar were subsiding.

However he had new concerns.

"Don't you hate how lovingly awkward they've made everything?" Houjin looked over, not aware that his mother had walked in. Though her words were sarcastic, she had a small smile on her face.

Houjin smiled back slightly. "It's sickening."

His mother's sense of humor didn't slip by him at all like it often did Shui and Meifeng. Her dry tone and nature were understandable to him and he had adopted it as his own. She wasn't like that always anyway, not with him. When it was just them, they smiled and laughed as much as a mother and son would, just – it wasn't necessary to do it all the time was it?

"Your father wasn't one for that kind of thing, either."

Houjin's smile fell.

His father. The one who was supposed to be here now. The one –

Houjin shook his head. "I can understand why."

Mai was looking up at her tall son however. He reminded her so much of Zuko. It was almost scary how alike the two were and Houjin didn't even remember the man. She wondered, as she often did, if the two would ever meet. She wasn't one to be an optimist. She wouldn't give him or herself false hope. Yet it lingered there, that hope, like a loose thread in her otherwise perfect quilt of sanity.

She didn't know how Katara did it. She didn't know how the younger woman continued to smile, despite the fact that she knew her husband was dead. Mai didn't even know. All she had was an assumption, a guess. It didn't do her any good.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Houjin replied.

Mai nodded. If there was one thing she wished about her son, it was that he were more expressive, like his father. She wasn't one to spread her feelings out on the table like Katara or like Zuko and her son shared that trait. Now, however, she could see the underlings of something stirring just below the surface, something she just couldn't put her finger on to describe. "I suppose you are."

"Mai!" The two of them looked to Katara and the others who were grinning. "We're going to find something to snack on, to celebrate. Would you two like to come."

Mother and son looked at each other, sharing equal thoughts. Mai pushed herself from the wall, walking towards them. Halfway there, she spun, the small stilettos flinging themselves from her hand and embedding deep into the wall to right of Houjin who hadn't moved in inch. He was used to that too and calmly pulled the darts from the wall.

"Nothing better to do," Mai said, putting her hands in her sleeves again, a small smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: I really like Mai. She's sort of like an old school Goth yeah? She's great. Hope you guys liked this chapter. I know it was shorted than normal but still. Thanks for reading :-D **


	6. Destiny

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Shout out to favorite story reader: Noaku-The-Fire-Angel; story alert: SmurfLoversPancake; and Fav Author: SmurfLoversPancake!**

* * *

Meifeng flitted around the practice room on her air scooter, her mom standing in the middle with an Earthbender, both watching her. Katara nodded and the Earthbender stomped down. Meifeng jumped off her air scooter, high into the air as the earth shot up beneath her.

She floated to the ground, at ready. Katara nodded again and the Earthbender kicked the ground once more, shooting the loose rocks that flew up into the air at her, she ducked and dodge, spinning her arms to bend the air around her in a shield to send them flying away from her.

_Air is the element of freedom_, she quoted to herself. _Airbending is all about flexibility, finding and following the path of least resistance._

She rushed forward, leaping into the air just as another boulder came in her direction. Using the rock as momentum, she pressed her feet against it, pushing off to flip up into the air, landing just behind the Earthbender, smiling as he tried to turn to face her only to find she was always behind him, sticking to his back.

What she knew about Airbending wasn't nearly as much as she could have known but she was good. She had to be, being the only one left. She often wondered what her life would be like if she had been born a Waterbender, like Shui. Would she be a master of her element now? Would she and her mother be closer? Not that she didn't love Katara and vice versa but it was hard to get close to someone you didn't have much in common with. Katara couldn't teach her daughter like she could Shui and that might have built a rift between them

The Earthbender, frustrated, stomped down again, shooting Meifeng up on a column of rock. She flipped in the air, landing in front of him. He raised a rock shield in front of him. Meifeng jumped into the air and swung her leg, bringing her foot down with a cry and sending a slice of air that cut the rock in a diagonal and flung the other bender back a pace.

"Alright," Katara called out as Meifeng crouched, ready to defend herself again. "Very good. Thank you," she added to the bender, who nodded, both him and Meifeng bowing to each other, and left the room. "You've been practicing."

Meifeng smiled. "Takes a lot of work but yeah."

Katara nodded before holding out her hand. "Walk with me."

Surprised, Meifeng took her hand, letting her mom lead her out of the room. Katara patted the hand in hers with her free hand. "You remind me so much of Aang, Meifeng."

Meifeng sighed. "Mom –"

"I'm serious," Katara interrupted. "I see him in you every time you bend and in the way you smile. You have his spirit even if you have my attitude. But you're strong spirited and free-willed and just – I couldn't ask for a better daughter."

The two of them stopped. There were tears in Katara's eyes. "I know you all will be moving along soon and so I – Come on I have a something for you."

Katara, Shui and Meifeng's home wasn't far from the practice center. They went inside and Katara led the way to her room. She grabbed a box that was beside her bed (which was nothing more than a sleeping bag), opening it and motioning for Meifeng to sit on the floor next to her. "I keep a lot of important things in here. Some were given to me, like this – the betrothal necklace that my grandmother passed down to my mother – and others, I bought."

Katara lifted a hilt out of the box. That was all it was too, no blade attached. The hilt was wrapped in what appeared to be brown leather and on the end rested a clear glass ball. "What is it?"

"Your dad mentioned it once. You use it like an actual sword but by bending air as a blade. I know Air Nomads aren't necessarily ones for violence but, considering you aren't technically an Air Nomad. . . ."

"Oh mom." Meifeng took the hilt. "It's incredible. This will definitely come in handy."

"Also, your father left this with your name on it. I never opened it but I wanted to wait until you were a good age. Now that you'll be traveling, it seemed a good a time as any." Katara held out a folded up piece of parchment.

Meifeng took the letter with shaking hands. Besides the staff she had nothing from her father. This was so much different though. This was written by him. She opened it, reading through quickly. Tears filled her eyes.

"Katara!" The two of them looked up as a young woman appeared in the door way, looking frantic.

Katara jumped to her feet, followed by Meifeng. "What's wrong?"

"It's Kyoshi Island! We've went up to get supplies from the village and we saw the smoke! Kyoshi is being burnt to the ground!"

* * *

Houjin watched Sakari and Shui as they stood in their sarashis in a small pond (the underground cavern they called a home was practically full of them), passing water back and forth to each other. Sakari was smiling as she and Shui chatted and he leaned against the nearest cave wall, drifting off in the peaceful atmosphere. Now that she had mastered Waterbending they could move. It was time to travel and he'd finally get to see the world.

"Hey!" The three of them looked up as Meifeng came rushing towards them on her air scooter. Shui came rushing out of the pond, grabbing up his brown tunic and sliding it on.

"What's wrong?" he asked when he finally got a look of his sister's scared face.

"It's Kyoshi!" Meifeng cried, jumping into the air and landing in front of her brother. "They're being attacked by the Fire Nation."

Houjin sat up straight, cursing silently to himself. When he looked back to the pond, Sakari and her robes were already gone. He cursed again, getting to his feet. "Quick. Let's go grab our things. It looks like this journey's going to start off earlier than planned."

* * *

Sakari tied her sash as she ran clumsily out of the under ground cavern, thankful that Shui had shown her the way to the mainland. It would have taken too long and too much energy to swim.

The entrance to their secret hideaway was hidden, quite literally, under someone's bed. She pushed that aside now, climbing out, much to the surprise of the house owner. She skidded through people, some moving out of the way as the girl ran.

Her hand brushed against the panda lily bracelet on her wrist. Mom. Dad. Junjie. Huan. Her friends. All of Kyoshi. They were all counting on her.

She reached the shrine that had once been dedicated to Chin though it now held Azula's image and rushed past, sliding to a halt when she saw she had reached a cliff, the ocean crashing below in.

In the distance, she could make out the billowing black smoke. Now was the time to truly put her new abilities to the test.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her arms, pushing and pulling the waves below her. They followed her direction, rising higher and higher as her moves became more vigorous. With one last mighty pull, the waves rose almost high enough to the cliffs edge and Sakari clenched her fist, blowing. The water froze, now forming an icy slope.

Stilling herself, Sakari jumped, skidding down the side of the mountain on this path of ice. Villagers watching from the cliff screamed and called out, no doubt alerting attention to their guards.

Her arms flailed, trying to keep her balance. Finally, she stretched one arm in front of her, one arm behind, standing up straight. The bottom was speeding towards her and she blew out again, the ice in front of her freezing.

Sakari began to skate, the water continuing to freeze just before her feet would touch it. She was going to make it. She had too.

Just when her arms and legs began to burn with the effort, the Fire Nation warships came into view and the burning smoke that had been her island was more visible than before. Even from where she was, she could hear screams and shouting. Something shot into the air, barreling in her general direction, bright and unwavering.

Looking up, Sakari gasped as she saw what was flying towards her.

Fireballs.

She continued forward, water splashing up around her as the fireballs hit, the water. The Fire Nation navy had seen her and they were trying to kill her!

Sakari sped up her speed as a fireball flew right at her. It missed her but hit directly behind, breaking the ice trail she had created and causing something akin to a small explosion. Sakari screamed as she was flung into the air, twisting until she hit the water, hard.

Under the water she floated, stuck half between darkness and consciousness. She had failed already and had yet to learn the other elements. She had failed her family, Katara, Shui, Meifeng, and Houjin. She had failed the world.

Something like a blue light shown in front of her. She opened her eyes, just barely, but she could make out what could only be someone's soft smile.

"We can do this."

* * *

Appa burst up through the surface of the water, Shui dropping the water bubble as they flew into the air. Houjin leaned over the edge of the saddle on one side while Shui did the same on the other, Meifeng sitting up front once more. "Do you see her?" she called back to the two boys.

"No!" Shui said, moving to Houjin's side. "That girl moves fast!"

"Look!" Houjin cried out.

The three teens stared in amazement at the ice ramp that scraped the edge of the cliff, sliding down to the water. "Whoa," Shui muttered.

They followed the path of ice across the ocean, towards Kyoshi.

"It's broke here," Meifeng pointed out, the chunks of ice separating in the water.

"So where's Sakari?" Houjin asked.

"Down there!" Shui cried. Meifeng hopped back into the saddle, leaning next to her brother.

They leaned over the saddle again, peering into the ocean. Eyes widened as the water below them began to glow in one spot. When the glow began to move, faster than any fish, Meifeng patted Appa's side. "Follow it boy!"

The sky bison shot of, following the glow of the water. The glow shot underneath the ships, rocking them on the waves as it moved towards the Island. Suddenly, the water shot up, circling in one large sprout.

Meifeng screamed. Shui climbed over the saddle, grabbing Appa's reigns, pulling him around the spout. "It's Sakari!"

Indeed the girl was in the middle of the sprout, her arms outstretched and her eyes glowing blue. She barely cast a glance at them as she turned towards Kyoshi, the water spewing from the glance to put out the various fires taking hold of her home.

"She's in the Avatar State!" Houjin cried over the roaring water. "No telling what she'll do! Shui move!"

The boy did so, pulling Appa's reigns, a fireball just missing them by inches. Another fireball shot forward, running through the water of Sakari's shot. She turned in the water, her face fierce and scary and her eyes directed at the ship.

A man stood down there now, glaring up at them. Houjin couldn't see who he was but it was as if he was daring Sakari, testing her.

"Shui, get me closer!" Houjin yelled. Houjin leaned forward as Sakari raised her arms. "Sakari! Sakari, don't do it!"

She stopped, arms raised, still glaring down at the ship.

"There are people on those ships! People you care about! Think about Sokka and Suki! Your family! If you destroy the ships, you'll destroy your family! Is that what you want?"

The Avatar's gaze softened. Shui gently pulled Appa closer, the mist from the water sprout making it almost hard to concentrate. Houjin reached out to her. "I understand you're angry but this isn't going to save your people! We'll figure something else out, I promise but right now you have a job to fulfill!"

Sakari's head bowed and with it, her entire body seemed to go limp. The water sprout dispersed, falling like a tidal wave towards the ships below, taking Sakari with it. Houjin leaped forward, grabbing her wrist. Behind him, Meifeng grabbed him around his knees. Sakari suddenly snapped awake, her other hand reaching to Houjin's. Meifeng and Houjin gave a mighty pull, bringing Sakari's struggling form into the saddle.

"Go, Shui! Go!" Meifeng called as the Fire Nation ships below began to load up their catapults again.

Shui nodded, tugging Appa's reigns around. They flew upwards, past the clouds and out of harm's way.

The odd crew all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the same moment. Shui let go of Appa's reigns, sagging forward as if exhausted while the other two turned to look at Sakari.

The younger girl was still staring off in the direction of her island. She had done well, putting out the flames but who had survived? Who had been taken prisoner? Who had died?

"Are you alright?" Meifeng asked softly, watching her new friend.

Sakari spared a glance at Houjin. He thought her weak, she could tell and right now she felt it. She wanted to cry for what she had lost but didn't want to do it in front of him. So instead she smiled widely. "I'm fine thanks."

"Good," Houjin replied. His fist lifted and he rapped her hard on the head with his knuckles. "Don't ever do something stupid like that again."

Meifeng slapped him against the back of his head. "Don't hit her!"

"Don't hit _me!_" Houjin yelled back, rubbing his head. "I barely touched her!"

"You are such a jerk!"

"They do this often but you learn to tune them out," Shui said smiling. "Besides, that's just Houjin's way of saying he likes you."

Sakari smiled at Shui before turning to look as they traveled towards their destiny.

* * *

**A/N: So the adventure truly begins! I hope you guys liked Sakari's first Avatar State moment. Aang's letter to Meifeng will be explained later also! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! **


	7. Spirit World

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Shout outs to new favorite story readers: kiwiguy2010 and Mysterydrew; story alert: kiwiguy2010; To answer percabeth4eva: Aang realized there was no way out. He just wanted to get his family to safety :-D great guy yay!**

* * *

The guards eyes shot open.

Where was he?

What had happened?

He twisted where he lay on a hard floor, only to find out that his arms were tied behind her back. The events came rushing back to him. He had been on guard duty in that evening, calming down riots. People were wild at the sight of the Waterbender who appeared in their village that afternoon. It was the Avatar they had claimed and that had sparked something like hope in them, something like rebellion.

It was during that that he was attacked by a strange person, knocked unconscious by the hilt of a sword. He closed his eyes in desperation. How could he have been so stupid?

Footsteps sounded. The guard tensed up, ready to die.

A hand shot out, grabbing the front of his armor and pulling him into a seating position. "I'll have you know, rebel, that you can torture me all you dare! I will never betray Queen Azula! Nor will I divulge any of The Nation's secrets to a filthy rebel like you!"

"You talk too much." The figure smirked, removing his hood. The guard stared in horror at the red eyes that glared at him from a surprisingly young face, black hair short to the neck, dirty, and scraggly with a short beard to match. Metal earrings, three eyebrow rings and a lower lip piercing that looked like a spike, glistened in the light. "Now we're going to have a little one on one chat, okay? I'm going to ask some questions and you're going to answer them."

"I will not! I've told you, I will not divulge anything or offer you anything that would be considered a betrayal of Queen Azula or The Nation! I –"

A flash in the dim light and the edge of a katana was pressed up against the guards throat. His Adam's apple bobbed, grazing the bottom of the sword. The red-eyed stranger sighed. "God, is this what they teach you at training camp? Now, you're either going to talk or you're going to bleed. Which one's better for you?"

The figure kept the sword near to the neck of the guard, a stern look in his glowing eyes. "Now . . . what was that riot about? The one in the village?"

When the guard didn't speak, the stranger pressed a little harder, his blade drawing blood. The guards breathing picked up. "I-I-I-It was this girl! A Waterbender! They – they claim she's the Avatar!"

"The Avatar? Which way did she go? This girl?" The knife pressed slightly harder.

"She's heading North! North!"

The boy, for that was what he was, grinned, red eyes slightly less red it seemed. "Thank you. See how easy and fun it is to help strangers with their problems?"

He knocked the butt of his katana against the guards head, again, the guard sliding to the floor. Bending down, he untied him. Someone would come find him eventually or he'd just wander his way back into the village.

He straightened, pulling his hood back over his head and sliding the katana back into its sheath. Whistling to himself, he continued on his journey.

* * *

"It's not anything to be afraid of, Sakari. It's the Avatar State is all. It's a normal part of any Avatar."

Sakari nodded at Meifeng, though she was still horribly confused. Shui was gazing at her. "What was it like?" he asked.

"Like – I don't know – I wasn't scared, not really. It just sort of felt like I knew what I was doing but at the same time someone was helping me. I just – don't get it."

"As the Avatar, the spirit of the earth personified, you are the connection between this world and the spirit world," Meifeng told her. "Of course your main job, you know, is being the balance between the nations because every nation exists in you, but you also are as much a part of the spirit world as anything else. When you enter the Avatar State, you're connecting with the spirits of your past selves, which explains how you were able to do what you did."

"Not that this isn't exciting," Houjin said in a dry tone, "but are we going to land any time soon? It's late and I'm exhausted."

Meifeng shot him an angry glare before leaping into the air and gently onto Appa's necks, grabbing his reigns. "Take us down boy."

"Down there?" Houjin complained. "That's a swamp!"

"Hey, you're the one who's so 'exhausted'. I'm only doing what you asked."

Appa snorted but he flew down the ground, landing in the middle of a very murky swamp. Shui slipped down Appa's tail, scouting. "There's dry ground over here!" he called. "Pass the sleeping bags."

They had gotten lucky, Sakari realized as she threw a sleeping bag to Shui. Being so rushed (to save her, Houjin reminded her), they hadn't time to grab much besides the sleeping bags, a small bag of dried fruit and meat, Meifeng's glider, Shui and Sakari's waterskins and Sakari's fans. It sounded like a lot but in all actuality, compared to what they had wanted to bring, it was nothing.

"Everyone needs to get some rest," Meifeng instructed, lying out her sleeping back and lying down. "Tomorrow, we'll get up bright and early to eat and get on the move again."

"Yes, commander," Houjin muttered, already half-asleep.

Sakari lay down, staring up at the moon through the dense foliage, hoping against hope that her family was alright, hoping that, if anything, they'd just be put in prison and not murdered because of her. She just hoped.

With that last thought, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Sakari."

The girl sat up quickly, hair flying into her face. Her head was pounding with an unimaginable headache, a headache that needed to be slept off. Looking to her friends she tried to see who called her but they were all asleep.

"Sakari." Her name was spoken again but it was like a gust of wind and nothing more.

Something like a light flashed in her peripheral and she turned around. Behind her hovered what looked like a ball of dancing light. She jumped from her sleeping bag. "Hello?" she whispered.

She glanced over her shoulder to check and make sure that the others were still asleep before she darted into the swamp, after the light.

Swampy water came up to her knees as she sloshed towards whatever she was following. "Come back!" she called.

She stopped, exhausted from trying to move through the sludge. The light had disappeared and now . . . was she lost? She couldn't tell. Everything looked almost the same.

"Hello!" she called.

The swamp around her seemed to have changed. The light was different, as if it hadn't just a moment ago been nearly the middle of the night. What was going on?

"Sakari."

The girl spun again, falling backwards into the slush at the sight of the pale, ethereal woman who floated in front of her. The woman smiled at her. "Hello Sakari."

The woman offered Sakari a pale hand. Sakari didn't take that hand though. She stared up at the beautiful woman in front of her. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "Surely you know me. We talk every night."

That was when Sakari saw it. A face almost easily recognizable from her dreams and her father's stories. She slid her hand into hers, easing to her feet. "Yue."

Yue's smile widened. "Nice to finally be able to speak with you, Sakari."

"This is incredible!" Sakari muttered, in shock. "Where am I?"

"I thought that would be easily understandable too. It's the only way you could be seeing me right now. Come on. I have someone who wants to talk to you."

Yue's hand tightened around hers and they climbed from the swamp running in the mid-evening light. Sakari was amazed into silence.

She was in the Spirit World.

* * *

"OH NO! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!"

Houjin cried out as his sleeping bag was flipped violently in the air and he landed on his stomach in the mud. "What was that for?" he screamed at Meifeng.

"What's going on?" Shui asked sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Houjin glared at the other boy. How come she hadn't Airbended him awake?

"I-I woke up because I thought I heard something and look! Sakari's gone!"

Sure enough the Avatar's sleeping bag was empty. For Agni's Sake! What was with that girl? Why did she always see fit to run off?

Houjin crawled out of his on sleeping bag, shaking mud from his front. Meifeng was still going wild with fear ("We lost her! Mom's going to kill us!"). Shui was trying to calm his sister down but yelling at her was obviously doing nothing. Houjin pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. "Shut up!"

The other two quieted, Meifeng looking close to tears. Houjin frowned at the both of them. "Here's what we're going to do. Meifeng, you grab your glider and head for the sky, try to see if you can spot her from above. Shui, you go that way and I'll go this way. Appa, sorry boy, but you stay here, as a guiding point. Try to make sure you keep track of your direction so you can make it back here. Alright? Let's go."

Meifeng picked up her glider, pressing the switch that released the wings and, with a running start, she leapt into the air. Shui attached the waterskin to his side, bending water from it to use as a lash as he cut his way through the thick undergrowth. Houjin turned in the direction that he set for himself, igniting a small light in his palm before setting off to go find that blasted Avatar.

* * *

Sakari tried to keep up with Yue as they ran through what could only be described as a forest. What had happened to the swamp? Around her, weird animals watched the two run, one girl moving as light as the wind and the other struggling behind her.

"Yue!" Sakari called as Yue disappeared through a large bush. Bracing herself, Sakari leapt through that bush, finding herself in an open clearing, only one large tree ahead of her. Yue was no where in sight.

"Yue!" she called again, but the moon spirit was gone.

A laugh drew her attention and she looked up, surprised to see a young man sitting on the highest branch.

"Hello Avatar Sakari," the man said, leaping from his perch. He fluttered softly to the ground and Sakari was finally able to get a better glimpse of his monk attire. An arrow tattoo dawned his bald head, glowing softly in the light.

"Avatar Aang," she replied in awe.

Aang smiled, scrunching his nose slightly. "How about I just call you Sakari if you just call me Aang."

Sakari nodded, frowning. "I don't feel like much of an Avatar yet, anyway."

"How do you figure?"

"Uncle Sokka always told me great things about you. Not just the stuff you did in the Avatar State but the stuff you did just normally, like the time you saved an entire village from lava. I could never do anything like that."

"You already proved you're stronger than me."

"How?"

Aang smiled softly at her. "Because you stayed."

Aang seemed to glance towards the sky. "Your friends are looking for you."

Sakari hadn't heard anything but she nodded. Aang stepped forward, gently pressing the tips of his fingers against her forehead. "You, Sakari, are going to make a fine Avatar. Your friends are there to help you and you have the strength a million behind you. If you ever need me again, you know how to find me. Oh, and tell the kids I said hello."

Aang's eyes glowed and when Sakari blinked she was back in the swamp.

* * *

"Sakari!" Houjin yelled, sweeping through the underbrush. Gunk from the swamp was sticking to the bottom of his boots. This was not how he wanted to spend his first night away from home. "Sakari!"

He slid to a stop when he heard something. It had sounded like a twig snapping.

He wasn't alone.

Turning, he shot out, the flame he had been using as his guiding light shooting out in a jet of fire. Someone screamed and he stopped, eyes wide. "Sakari!"

Running forward, he berated himself. Of course it was Sakari. No one else was in this dumb swamp except them. He reached a dead tree, made even worse now that he had practically burnt it to a crisp. "Sakari?"

The girl in question stepped out from behind the burnt tree. She smiled at him. "Eh . . . hello, Houjin."

Houjin was fuming. "Hello? _Hello?_ You go missing in the middle of the night and all you say is _hello_?"

"Eh – I –"

"Do you have any idea what you put us through? We've been searching through all this gunk and glop! We're all tired and you run off! This is the second time you've done this, Sakari! What were you thinking? Where you thinking at all?"

"Hey!" Meifeng landed suddenly in between them. She took one look at Sakari before pulling her into her arms. "You're alright! What were you doing? Where did you go?"

"Eh," Sakari said again, tugging on her hair. "Avatar Aang says hello."

Meifeng was shocked into silence but Houjin was still glaring at her. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back in the direction of their campsite. "Great. Leave it to you to be the Avatar who runs off to go to the Spirit World. Couldn't you have just stayed in your sleeping bag? Now, if he's not back, we've got to go find Shui."

What on earth had he gotten himself into?

* * *

**A/N: And the strange red-eyed stranger makes another appearance. Hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll see you next time.**


	8. Blending In

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

* * *

Appa landed outside of the city formerly known as Omashu. They had been traveling for the last day and a half now and were viciously low on supplies. They were low on money but it was enough to get something. Houjin said they'd catch they're food if they had too but Meifeng wasn't having it.

"Okay now we need to blend in," Meifeng was whispering as they walked through the city gates. "Everyone you see is probably Fire Nation or at least tolerant of their cause. Stick together."

Houjin grabbed Sakari's wrist. "We don't need you wandering off around here."

Sakari looked around. It was odd. For sixteen years, Kyoshi Island and its people was all she knew. Now she was seeing all the places she had only heard stories about. . . .

And it was _horrible._

Soldiers walked around among the villagers, swords and spears at ready. She wasn't sure who all were Firebenders or Earthbenders but they all looked dangerous. Earthbenders who she guessed didn't support the cause were working as slaves, bending new buildings and expanding on old Omashu. Soldiers sat on Giant Beetles, watching over the work.

The slaves were gaunt and exhausted looking, probably starved. One fell, exhaustion taking its course. A soldier rode over on his Beetle. "You, up!"

The Earthbender tried to push himself to his knees. Apparently he wasn't moving fast enough because the guard swung his arm, a fiery whip appearing in his hand. He struck the slaves bare back. "I said get up!"

He struck him again and again, red welts appearing over the slave's back.

"Sakari," Houjin muttered, pulling on her.

"We have to stop him!" she whispered frantically. "Don't you see what he's doing?"

"Of course I do! But there's nothing you can do about it!"

The slave cried out and Sakari attempted to break from Houjin. "He's hurting him!"

Houjin gave an all-mighty tug, pulling Sakari away from the scene and down an alley way. He grabbed hold of her shoulders, pressing her against a wall. "Look. There's nothing you can do. Not only are we outnumbered, but we're outmatched. Those guards have been training for years. You've only been training for a month. Calm down, okay?"

"What are you guys doing?" The two of them looked up to Meifeng and Shui who were standing at the opening of the alley way. Meifeng looked behind them before they rushed forward. "We thought we lost you."

"Miss Rush-Into-Things was trying to blow our cover," Houjin responded, getting an angry push from Sakari.

"You guys, we need to move," Shui muttered. "We're going to draw attention to ourselves. Let's go."

They turned, heading for the entrance . . . only to be blocked by a guard on a Giant Beetle. "You kids! What are you doing?"

The four teens exchanged glances before Meifeng stepped forward. "We were just heading home, sir."

"Well get moving!" The guard yelled. He moved and the four rushed out of the alley. "I'll follow you home to make sure you don't cause any more problems."

"Alright, sir," Meifeng replied with a smile. She took Shui and Sakari's hands, walking ahead. Sakari sent a glance at the fellow sixteen-year-old but he just nodded his head, slightly. If the guard thought they were kids, they were better off than if the guard knew they were all teens.

"Great, what do we do now?" Houjin muttered.

"Just stay calm, alright?" she whispered.

Meifeng led the way down the street, glancing around. Finally she stopped, letting go of Shui's hand to knock on a door. Sakari could hear her muttering. "Please be okay. Please be okay."

A woman opened the door, gazing out at the guard and the four 'kids' in front of her. Meifeng let her smile widened. "Hi mom! Sorry we're late."

"These your kids, lady?" the guard asked.

The woman locked eyes with Meifeng again for a second before looking up at the guard with her own smile. "Yes they are. Thank you so much for bringing them home. I was wondering where they had gotten off too."

She stood back, letting the four run inside her small house. The guard stared at their backs. "Yeah well make sure they stay out of trouble. We can't have them runnin' around, messin' things up."

"Right you are. Thank you sir." With that, the woman closed the wooden door, turning to look at the relieved teenagers.

Meifeng stepped forward. "Thank you. You can't possibly imagine –"

"How old are you?" the woman asked. "Seventeen? Fifteen?"

"Eighteen," Meifeng replied confused.

"Then you should have known better!" the woman argued. "Waltzing about a Colony with young kids when you're so clearly Water Tribe. You're lucky you knocked on my door and not some other fool who would have turned you in as soon as look at you. Who knew kids could be so stupid nowadays."

"Look lady," Houjin said, glaring. "We're not some just 'some kids' and I don't know who you think we're talking to but –"

"Houjin," Sakari interrupted, placing her hand on his shoulder. She pulled him back, stepping up next to Meifeng. "Miss –"

"Just Daiyu."

"Daiyu. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sakari, this is Houjin, Shui, and Meifeng. We appreciate everything you done for us and we apologize for the trouble we may have caused you."

Daiyu gazed at her before looking up at the others. "Which one of you is the Avatar?"

When they stared at her in surprise, she simply shrugged. "It's not so hard to figure out. Three children who are clearly of Water Tribe descent and you," she nodded at Houjin, "bare a resemblance to the Fire Lord Zuko. It must be one of you two," she said, looking at Shui and Sakari. "You look around the right age. So who is it?"

Sakari raised her hand slightly before lowering it. "Me. I am."

Daiyu nodded, moving to her kitchen. She reached up into a cabinet, pulling out a sack. "Figures. Well you're welcome, but you're going to need more than supplies. It'll be easier to blend in with your skin-tone if you at least the part of a Colony teen. Might as well settle in for the moment. Not you, temper," she said, pointing at Houjin. "You're going to go out and get you and your friends some new clothes."

"Why me?" Houjin asked angrily.

"You blend in the most out of these three." She handed him the sack. "This should be enough money to buy you all some clothes. Hurry on now, before curfew. Make sure you get something nice for the girls."

Houjin sneered at the woman before walking out the door.

* * *

"Oh, these look good," Meifeng said, paying the merchant for a bag of mangos. "Thank you sir."

Sakari took the bag, putting it into their pack, moving with Meifeng to the next food stand to buy fish. Houjin and Shui strayed behind, each carrying packs already filled with bread, eggs, turkey duck, komodo chicken, and leechi nuts.

Houjin had done a good job getting them something to wear, which pleased Daiyu to no end. He was dressed simply in a dusty red vest, brown trousers that cinched at his calves, and sandals. His hair was tied up in a top knot with a brown band, out of his face for once, while he wore matching brown bands on his upper arms. Shui wore a black long sleeved tunic and black knee length trousers, a gold belt cinched around his waist to keep the tunic tight, sandals, and black and gold wrist bands. His hair was cropped short so he didn't wear a top knot.

Meifeng had complained about the lighter colors he had gotten for the girls but she looked very cute in her light pink loose fitting trousers, light slippers, and white slit skirt. Her stomach was showing (something Shui had complained about) beneath a light pink, sleeveless top that connected over one shoulder, with a matching headband for her chin length hair. Sakari now wore gray knee length tights, a yellow, gray trimmed elbow-length tunic that wrapped around her body, tied with a gray belt, slippers, and slits up the sides for easy movement. Her top knot band was gray and she wore yellow fingerless gloves. She kind of preferred Meifeng's outfit, though she didn't say that to Houjin of course.

"Very well done," Daiyu had said the next morning before they headed out. "Now you truly look like Fire Nation natives or at least brought over to the colonies."

Sure enough, no one paid the four newcomers much mind as they made their way through the crowded morning rush.

Daiyu proved to be very kind. Not only did she let them spend the night, but she gave them the rest of the money left over from Houjin's shopping to buy food, claiming she had plenty more where that came from. That was the only reason they could afford such delicacies like komodo chicken and turkey duck.

"Are you done?" Houjin asked, hefting the pack on his shoulder. "We don't need to buy the whole market."

"We need these supplies Houjin," Meifeng replied, shooting him a glare as she moved to the next merchant, who was selling cabbages. "If you hadn't taken so long shopping, we could have been out of here last night."

Shui shook his head. "Poor Appa. I hope he's okay."

"Hey, it's not my fault," Houjin argued. "I know how picky you are and I wasn't sure what size Sakari wore. You're lucky I got what I got before curfew."

Shui went to respond but Sakari put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on let's just hurry up and get out of here."

"Well hello there." The three of them looked up as a group of boys approached Meifeng, the one in front with a smile on his face. He was very attractive, golden almond shape eyes sparkling under a mop of black hair and a proud, strong jaw. His grinned widened as he leaned against the cart, ignoring the merchant's pleas to watch out for his cabbages. "I'm Nianzu. You are?"

Meifeng smiled at him as she handed the gold coins to the cabbage merchant. "I'm not interested."

"Oh, feisty," Nianzu replied, smirking. "I like that. Whoa!" he said grabbing Meifeng's arm as she made to move past him. "I'm talking to you."

Shui rushed forward, snatching his sister away from Nianzu's grasp. "That's my sister you're grabbing."

The taller boy chuckled, ruffling Shui's short hair. "What's this, your body guard?"

"You're right I am. Which means you butt off!" Shui shoved the boy back, into his friends.

"You trying to start something, little boy!" Nianzu yelled getting to his feet again, fists clenched.

"Shui let it drop," Meifeng muttered, grabbing her brother.

"So what if I am?" Shui said, ignoring her and shaking her off.

Nianzu lit a flame in the palm of his hand. "Little boy, you have no idea who you're messing with!"

Sakari ran in between the boys, her hands on Shui's chest, pushing him backwards. "We don't have time for this! Ignore the jerk and let's go."

Nianzu pushed Sakari away from them all onto the floor. "Move girl."

"Hey." Houjin had approached them, standing in front of Sakari. Flames ignited on his fist, scorching the ground. "So you think you're tough? Picking on girls? That makes you a loser if you ask me."

"I'll show you who's a loser!" Nianzu stepped back, fist out in front of him, ready for a fight.

And then he was doused in water and frozen to the spot.

Houjin stepped back, looking behind at Sakari whose hands were still up and the water barrel beside her now empty.

"It was her!" One of the boys in Nianzu's gang called to some guards who were rushing over to see what all the commotion was. "She's a Waterbender!"

Meifeng reached over, grabbing Sakari's wrist. "Get back to Appa!"

Houjin and Shui split off. Meifeng swung her arm, the cabbage cart swinging and crashing into the guards and the boys who had been hassling them. "MY CABBAGES!" The merchant yelled.

The two girls ran through the village, very aware of those chasing after them as their packs juggled against their backs. Meifeng let go of Sakari, spinning around and slashing her arms in an 'x' in front of her. A gust of wind pushed the guards behind them back. Meifeng landed back on the ground, grabbing Sakari's wrist again.

"There they go!" Sakari looked to her left, seeing two more guards approaching them.

"Hold out the water canteen!" Sakari called to Meifeng. The older girl did so and Sakari raised her hand, bending the water and circling it in front of her before throwing it like a whip. The water caught the guard in front in his chest, knocking him back against his companion.

"Nice one!" Meifeng yelled as Sakari bended the water back into the canteen. More soldiers rounded the corner. "Jeez! Where do they get all these people?"

"We've gone the opposite way!" Sakari pointed out. "How are we going to get to Appa?"

"I have the whistle!" Meifeng replied, much to the other girl's confusion.

It wasn't going to make much difference if they couldn't get through the brick wall that was approaching them. The older girl looked up to the roofs above them, smiling. Reaching back she grabbed Sakari's arm. "Hang on!"

Sakari cried out as she and Meifeng jumped into the air, onto the slim roofs. Meifeng ran quickly, her balance impeccable, though Sakari struggled slightly behind her.

The guards stopped, aiming their fists toward the roofs. "Fire!" one shouted.

Fire blasts hit the roof, knocking shingles to the ground below. Angry villagers left their houses, trying to find the commotion. Meifeng looked behind her to check on Sakari. . . .

And she fell over the brick wall, screaming.

Meifeng held out her hands in front of her, towards the ground, blowing out and bending the air beneath her. She hovered then, maybe two feet above the ground, until Sakari landed on top of her, knocking both girls to the ground with an 'Oof'!

"Are you alright?" Meifeng asked.

Sakari nodded, getting up and offering the other girl a hand. She grinned widely. "That was great!"

Meifeng laughed, reaching up to her neck to retrieve the bison whistle that lay there attached to a string. Lifting it to lips, she blew. "Bison Whistle," she told Sakari, who was watching confused.

Sure enough, Appa came sweeping into view, Houjin and Shui sitting in the saddle. "There you are!" Shui called with a grin.

Appa landed. Meifeng and Sakari threw their packs to the boys before Meifeng lifted them both into the saddle.

"I don't know what you two are smiling about," Houjin declared as they flew off. "We could have been caught."

"But we weren't," Meifeng told him, sticking her tongue out at him. "So quit your whining."

Sakari and Shui laughed though Houjin pouted. No matter the danger, they were safe now and that was all that counted.

* * *

**A/N: Lol I had a good time writing this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it as well. See you next time! BTW, I checked and Fire Nation colors varied a lot so yellow and gray are perfectly acceptable and when you think Meifeng's outfit, think Katara's Fire Nation Apparel, when you think Shui's outfit, think Sokka's Fire Nation Apparel, and when you think Houjin's outfit, think Zuko's beach attire but all in different colors. Sakari's outfit can kinda be thought of as the Water Tribe look, but with the knee-length and elbow-length being for the heat. Hope that helps! Thanks everyone!**


	9. Vulnerable

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hello to new Favorite Story reader: musicisherescape; new Story Alert reader: musicisherescape; and new Author Alert reader: silversable13! You two are the best! Thanks so much!**

* * *

_**My Queen:**_

_**You were correct in your assumptions. The Avatar, a sixteen-year-old girl named Sakari, is indeed alive and was being kept hidden on what was Kyoshi Island. When we arrived however, she was already gone, presumably to study Waterbending somewhere else.**_

_**As you instructed, we burnt the village to the ground. In the process, however, the Avatar appeared and put out the fires but not before we had taken the island inhabitants prisoner. Another ship is currently escorting the traitors to Boiling Rock. Among the traitors are the Kyoshi Warrior Leader and Master Swordsman. I believe you've had dealings with the two before, known by the names of Suki and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. Information tells us that these two raised the Avatar.**_

_**The Avatar escaped us by accessing the Avatar State. She flew off on a flying bison bearing three others. I couldn't very well get a glimpse of them, but they all seem young, no more than teens. We are certain, however, that they are heading North East, in the direction of your Earth Kingdome, in hopes of finding an Earth Bending teacher. We will continue to keep pursuit.**_

_**Loyally sworn to you,**_

_**Admiral Yaozu**_

Azula crumpled the letter, throwing it at the head of the servant to her left.

Incompetent. All of them were incompetent.

How annoying that you couldn't find good help these days when it came to enslaving the world.

No matter. Azula pressed her fingertips together. If the girl was heading in this direction, she'd get her chance to participate.

No way was she going to just stand off on the sidelines. She had already succeeded where her father and her idiot brother had failed once and she was sure she could do it once more.

Azula would end the Avatar Cycle.

* * *

Shui and Sakari stood by the lake, the current rushing past. Shui took a deep breath, raising the water, circling it into a sphere before pushing it to Sakari. She caught it, circling it and sending it back.

"Good," Shui said, smiling at her.

After escaping Omashu, the friends had stopped in the plains, deciding to camp out there for a day. Apparently, according to Meifeng, this was a place her father had talked about, where he used to ride Hog Monkeys. A small lake ran through there, probably connected to the ocean but it was good for practice and their entire campsite was very well hidden amongst the trees and small dirt like mountains that lined the shore.

Sakari smiled at Shui as they continued their very meditative practice. Of course she missed Lan and Bo terribly but Shui and Meifeng were family and, over the weeks, the three of them had grown so close that it was a surprise that they had just met. She, Shui, and Meifeng could laugh for days about something so incredibly stupid that often she'd forget what they were doing, why they were traveling. Knowing them made life fun.

Houjin on the other hand. . . . Sakari was never really able to talk to him. Sure, she considered him a friend and he remained an ever-protective force but . . . she couldn't talk to him. He made her feel awkward and sometimes unwanted. She often tried not to acknowledge it, thinking maybe this was just the way Houjin was but she had a feeling she was wrong.

"Shui?" she asked softly. "What can you tell me about Houjin?"

Shui laughed. "He's a brooding, seventeen-year-old who hates the world. Nothing much else to him, really."

"Well . . . why does he hate me?"

The boy suddenly became very serious, his eyes caring. "He doesn't hate you Sakari. Houjin . . . Houjin is just complicated. He doesn't like to express himself much, it's just not an easy thing for him to do. You'll probably never get, you know, a teary-eyed expression of how much you mean to him but it's there. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have stood up for you the way he did at the marketplace. Don't let it bug you to much."

Sakari nodded, opening her mouth to respond when she caught a glimpse of Shui's left shoulder. "Look out!"

Shui spun, raising and spinning the water fast enough that it acted as a shield, evaporating the oncoming fire blast.

Coming up the little lake were boats, dozens of them. On the breastplates of all the men's armor was the symbol of the Fire Nation and Sakari recognized the man on the first boat. It was the man from the Island, the one who took her family.

Shui grabbed Sakari's hand, pulling her away from the lake as the soldiers began to jump on shore. "Meifeng!" Shui shouted. "Houjin!"

The two of them came running, Meifeng jumping into the air and slashing her staff down. The resulting blast of air sent the soldiers chasing after the younger kids back into the water but others were still coming.

"Watch out!" Houjin yelled, pulling Sakari behind him as he punched forward with his free hand. The fire that blasted from his fist broke the boulder heading towards them into pieces, debris flying past them. Still, they were clearly out-numbered. "Run!"

The four teens started up a short hill, trying to get back to Appa. If they could get to the bison, they'd be able to escape.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly dissolved, bring the sliding back to flat ground. They struggled to stand again, making to move once more but the ground shot up, surrounding each of them in pillars of rocks with dangerous points directed towards their necks.

The dust cleared and Sakari looked around. They were surrounded, fire and earth directed towards them. One man stepped forward, clapping his hands.

"Very good," he said and his short beard seemed to quiver. He stepped forward, standing close to Sakari as if appraising her. "Very good indeed. You proved evasive, Avatar, but you children are no match for the Fire Nation Navy and certainly not for Admiral Yaozu." Yaozu chuckled. "And here I thought you may have been more . . . formidable. You're nothing more than a little girl."

"Get away from her," Houjin snarled.

Yaozu spun around with a growl, his foot swinging and sending a large fire arc in Houjin's direction. Houjin turned his head, the fire harmlessly ceasing before burning him. He glared at the older Firebender, who glared down at him for a moment before his eyes widened. "You are that traitor's son, Queen Azula's nephew. Which means you two," he said, turning towards Shui and Meifeng, "must be the children of Avatar Aang."

Yaozu laughed, ecstatic. "This is perfect! Not only have I captured an entire island but also the four most wanted teenagers in the entire world!"

"What have you done with them?" Sakari asked. "My family, the islanders. What have you done with them?"

Yaozu smirked. "That is none of your concern, little girl. Sakari, isn't it? Your mother mentioned you."

"What have you done with her?" Sakari shouted.

"You know she begged me not to take your brothers, begged me to leave them, but I don't think she'd be too fond of me if I had left them to be burned with the rest of your island."

Houjin looked between Sakari and the Admiral. Tears were starting to form in the girl's eyes but beyond that, Houjin could see the dangerous anger that was building up, slowly but surely. "Stop it," Houjin muttered.

"Pathetic really, the whole lot of them," Yaozu continued, oblivious to Houjin's warning and Sakari's tears. "Especially your so called father."

"Stop it," Houjin repeated louder.

Yaozu didn't listen. "Do you know he tried to fight me off with a sword? He's lucky I went easy on him or he'd be a lot worse off than he is now."

Houjin looked to Sakari as she turned her head squeezing her eyes shut. "Stop it!"

But it was too late. Sakari's eyes shot open, glowing a burning blue, fierce and angry. The ground beneath their feet began to shake and the pillars of rocks holding her crumbled.

Houjin, Meifeng, and Shui all fell to their knees as their prisons crumbled as well. An angry breeze blew their hair and clothes, blowing dust, rocks, and dirt around. The Fire Nation soldiers threw up their arms, blocking their faces. "What have you done?" Sakari asked, her voice terrifying.

Houjin stayed kneeled at the ground, eyes wide. It was a magnificent and frightening thing to behold; she seemed so regal and powerful and amazing! Even the soldiers standing around them were afraid, stepping back away from her. Some even ran away.

"What are you waiting for?" Yaozu screamed. "Fire!"

A few Firebenders rushed forward from all directions, punching out. Fire blasts sped towards the four friends.

"Sakari!" Meifeng screamed, reaching for her but Shui held her back, covering her.

There was no need to worry. Sakari raised her arms, spinning them in a wide circle over her head. The trees around them seemed to wring themselves dry, water bursting force and the trees disintegrating, bursting force like shrapnel, striking the soldiers. The water covered the four teens, the fire blasts evaporating against the surface. Sakari pushed forward, sending the water around out in a large wave that washed away a few unprepared soldiers. A few Earthbenders covered themselves and Yaozu in rocky domes, protected from her onslaught.

Again Sakari pulled water from the trees and grass, the water spinning in a large ring, the girl still focused on Yaozu. "What have you done with them?" she screamed.

Part of the water froze into fierce ice daggers, speeding at Yaozu. The Earthbenders blocked them, however, sending them away from their Admiral.

"Get to Appa!" Houjin yelled back to Shui and Meifeng. They nodded, ducking under the ring of water and running off back in the direction of their campsite. Houjin looked back to Sakari.

Yaozu stepped forward. "Surrender Avatar! You are outnumbered!"

Sakari swung her arms, surprising Yaozu and his remaining soldiers as they were swept up into a water bubble and then she clinched her fists.

"No, Sakari!" Houjin yelled as it became apparent that she was going to kill them, drown them.

Houjin rushed forward. He shot a blast of fire along the ground, creating a ring of fire around Sakari and raising it. The distraction was enough. He could hear the thuds of the soldiers and Yaozu hitting the ground, gasping for air.

"Sakari," Houjin said, knowing hey didn't have much time. He grabbed her arm and she looked to him fiercely, her eyes still glowing. She was very terrifying but Houjin met her gaze.

Finally, she closed her eyes, sinking to her knees. Houjin caught her under her arms, holding her up. She looked to him. "I'm sorry."

Houjin nodded. "It's fine."

The fire ring vanished as Yaozu stepped through, steam rising from every part of him, his anger apparent. Houjin and Sakari stared up at him as fire appeared on his fists. "You should have killed me when you had a chance, brat."

Houjin pulled Sakari behind him, felt her clench onto the back of his vest. Yaozu raised his hand.

"Look out below!"

Sakari looked up in the direction of the voice. "Appa!"

The sky bison roared. Yaozu fell back as Appa landed protectively in front of Houjin and Sakari, sweeping his tail. The soldiers and Yaozu were all blown back through the remaining trees.

Sakari rushed forward, pressing herself into Appa's side. "You are the best ever!"

"Hurry!" Meifeng cried.

Houjin gripped Sakari around the waist, lifting her to Shui who grabbed her hands. Houjin jumped onto Appa's tail, climbing into the saddle. "Yip, yip!"

The bison snorted, flying into the air. Houjin took a deep breath, looking down into the trees . . . or what used to be trees. From the air, he could see the disintegrated bark of the trees and the dead grass Sakari had taken water from. He hadn't even known she could do that.

He looked to her now, her hair blowing in the breeze as they flew. Her eyes were closed and she had her fingertips pressed to her temples. He had definitely misjudged her. She was still stronger than he ever thought possible, Avatar State or not.

But she was also dangerous, vulnerable. How on earth was he to protect her?

Sakari's eyes opened and she met his, smiling that wide naïve smile of hers. Frowning slightly, he looked away. He was supposed to be her Firebending Master, he was supposed to protect her.

He had some serious work to do.

* * *

Yaozu got to his feet, his hair lose from his topknot. Smoke poured from his nose and fire blazed from his mouth as he roared in anger.

She slipped through his fingers again!

Queen Azula would not be pleased.

"Sir?" Yaozu turned on the solider cowering behind him.

"What, what is it?" he shouted.

"Sir, many of our soldiers have been injured," the solider muttered. "What should we do?"

Yaozu took a deep, calming breath, quieting the fire within him. When he opened his eyes, the solider was watching him warily. "Do your best to get everyone back to the ship. We will see to it that the injured our care for when we reach the nearest port."

"Are we not pursuing the Avatar?" the solider asked before he could stop himself.

Yaozu looked to the sky, a slight smirk on his face. "We already know which direction she is heading in. Besides, she won't get far. There's a storm coming. You have your orders."

The solider saluted, moving to rally those who weren't injured to help him. Yaozu continued to stare out in the direction the sky bison had flown in.

He had underestimated the young girl before. He wouldn't make that same mistake again.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys like this :-D I'll see you next time!**


	10. The Storm

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hello to Favorite Story readers: Omolara; Story Alert readers: ryannicholas and Biggs989; Author Alert readers: marinmariee; and Author Favorite readers: Meegbefresh and SilverMoon100! You guys are great. Oh and Ryan to answer a few of your questions: Azula's escape and the battle were a few weeks apart, so she had time to get to Ba Sing Se; Aang knew he didn't stand a chance, being surrounded as he was, and he was just trying to get his family and friends to safety; they weren't all living together. Zuko, Mai, and Iroh were there on vaca; and lastly, there weren't many new characters :-D just the kids. Everyone else is from the original cartoon. Hope that answers your questions! Thanks and on with the show!**

* * *

The figure crouched low to the ground, examining the surrounding area with narrowed red eyes.

The ground beneath his feet and around him was ripped apart, burn marks scoured the ground and dead tree bark littered the floor. He picked up a piece, turning it in his hands. There was a fight here, a battle almost. He lifted his eyes to the sky, glaring upwards at the darkening clouds.

Quickly he stood, looking to the translucent Fire Nation soldier who was watching him. The stranger grinned cheekily. "So I see she got you."

The soldier glared at him. The boy scanned the man's body, noticing the hole that was now prominent in his right shoulder, a large broken limb from a tree in his hands.

The figure looked towards the sky again before looking back to dead soldier. "How long ago was this?"

This time it was the spirit's turn to grin snottily, shaking his head. The boy rolled his eyes. "You act as if you have something better to do than answer my question. You're a spirit now, remember? Now how long ago was it?"

The spirit frowned angrily before holding up three fingers.

The stranger frowned back, shaking his head again. He hated these new spirits.

If the spirit was telling the truth, the battle that had happened here had only been three days ago. The soldier wouldn't have his voice again for some time, unless he was granted into the spirit world before then and that was hardly likely considering the kind of person he must have been while he was living. Still, the spirits who couldn't talk were annoying, always pestering him once they realized he could see him and then trying to get him to understand whatever form of sign language they chose to use.

It was annoying and tedious, really. He much preferred the spirits who could talk.

But returning to the matter at hand. If the fight did occur three days ago, that meant he was finally catching up to the Avatar. It wouldn't be long now.

"Thanks a lot," he told the spirit, mock-saluting.

With that he walked away, knowing he had to find shelter soon.

A storm was swiftly approaching.

* * *

The thunder clapped and the lightening flashed maliciously and wildly. The wind was fierce and relentless and the rain poured down, unleashed as if from barrels.

Appa roared loudly as Meifeng tried to steer him through the horrible weather. Her teeth were chattering with cold, goose bumps marring her flesh. Behind her in the saddle, Shui and Sakari clung to the edges while Houjin tied down their remaining supplies, all of them soaked through to the bone.

"We have to land!" Shui shouted as Houjin finished off his tight knot, moving to cling to the saddle also.

"I can't see land," Meifeng cried back, "let alone aim for it!"

Sakari lowered her head, the wind thrashing through her hair. Besides her, Houjin was doing the same, his skin clammy against hers.

They should have landed when the sky got darker, Houjin thought angrily. But no, they just had to keep flying. This was so incredibly crazy and potentially lethal!

Lightening flashed again, though this time it was close, dangerously close. Appa roared loudly again, flying sharply to the side, tilting. Sakari screamed as her wet hands slipped. Houjin's arm shot out, grabbing her around her waist and holding her to him. "Hang on!" he yelled, gripping onto the saddle with his other arm.

Meifeng let go of the reigns, clinging to Appa's fur. "Appa! Appa you have to fly straight!"

But Appa couldn't straighten out. The wind and the rain were too fierce. Appa struggled but he was completely turned sideways, his grunts lost in the wind. Shui cried out as he fell, grasping onto the saddle, dangling out in the open air.

Sakari reached for him, but of course he was too far. She looked up at Houjin. "Let me go!"

Houjin shook his head. "You're insane!"

Shui screamed. "I'm slipping!"

Houjin looked down at Sakari again. The saddle was leaving in indentation in his arm, he didn't know how much longer he could hold on and Shui was going hanging on below them for dear life. He didn't want to let go of Sakari for obvious reasons but Shui needed help to. Slowly, he released his grip from her waist, his arm moving to grip to hers. Grunting, he lowered her towards Shui, the two younger kids reaching out to each other.

Houjin's arm slipped slightly and he tried to tighten his grip. "Hurry up!"

A large gust blew, flipping Appa back around. Shui's hand caught onto Sakari's as they were both flung back towards Houjin, who grabbed Shui by the back of his tunic. The three yelled out as they slid back towards the edge of the saddle, Houjin bracing them with his feet. Looking over he saw Meifeng, flinging back and forth from the reigns. Bending the wind she forced herself back down onto Appa, clinging there. "We're going down!" she screamed.

Appa tilted again and the three in the saddle slid towards the other edge. "Grab it!" Houjin called.

The others did as they were told, gripping onto the saddle as the crashed through the trees below, Appa spinning as the slid. Trees broke nearly in half, breaking of branches. Appa hit the ground with a loud thud, throwing the saddle occupants up into the air. Shui landed on Appa's tail while Sakari and Houjin landed in a tangled mess.

Shui slid the rest of the way down Appa's large tail. "Meifeng? Meifeng are you okay?"

Houjin gently pushed Sakari up before moving to the other side of the saddle. Meifeng's hair was wild but not as wild as her face as she clung to the side of Appa's fur, her knuckles practically white. "She's over here Shui," he called.

The sixteen-year-old ran around, relief written all over his face when he saw his sister. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down. "Come on, sis. Don't pull Appa's fur out."

Above them the storm continued to thrive but it wasn't so bad underneath the canopy of trees though the rain still came down relentlessly.

The friends walked, Appa trudging behind them. They were all soaked and miserably tired and this included Appa. Houjin patted the big animal's side, earning him a huff that blew Meifeng forward.

"Watch it, Houjin!" she shouted getting to her feet.

"It's not my fault!" Houjin yelled back. "Maybe you shouldn't walk in front of Appa!"

"Come on you two," Sakari tried, wearily. "We're all exhausted. Can we please not fight?"

"Stay out of it!" Houjin shot at her.

Shui shook his head, water flinging around, as the supposedly eldest of them all went back to arguing, Sakari looking close to tears. Always. It never failed. They always seemed to find something stupid to fight about. It didn't matter if both of them were wrong or if they knew for sure that the other was right they would still argue till the Elephant Camels came home or until they died . . . which ever came first.

A snap.

"You guys," he muttered, looking around, but the ignored him. Again he heard something, spinning in the opposite direction. "Hey!"

"What?" Meifeng shouted.

"We're not alone!" he hissed at her. He looked around again. "We need to go. Now. Appa –"

But they didn't move fast enough.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet before it shout up, constricting Appa's feet to the ground, causing the bison to roar in frustration.

"Quick!" Meifeng jumped up into the air, grabbing her staff and Sakari's fans, which she tossed to the other girl before joining the others on the ground. "Show yourselves!"

Show themselves they did. Suddenly the group was surrounded by what appeared to be rebels. Rebels who knew how to fight.

Shui bent the water from the ground as a large rock flew towards him. It swirled above his head before striking the rock and then his attacker, sending him (or possibly her; their clothes were baggy and their faces covered so it was hard to tell) into a nearby tree. Shui laughed, jumping back just in time as another rebel swung at him with a club, just barely missing him. The attacker swung again but Shui ducked, swing his leg around and catch the other guy at the ankles. The rebel went down and Shui raised the water, trapping his opponent in ice.

Meifeng, meanwhile, was literally stuck to her large opponent's back. He tried to reach her but couldn't and she giggled. She hadn't had a real fight in ages. This was too fun. She looked up as another attacker came towards, her, swinging a meteor whip. Grinning, Meifeng grabbed onto the shoulders of the big guy, swinging up just as the meteor whip from his friend hit him in the back and sent him crashing to the ground. The Airbender landed gracefully, smiling at the shocked man with the whip before she swung her arms, sending him flying backwards.

Houjin was too annoyed with this whole thing, he realized as he broke apart weak ground with his kicks as it flew at him. Closer and closer he moved towards his Earthbending attacker until he could reach him, grabbing him and jamming his knee into the other man's stomach. A whistling in his ears alerted him to an opponent from behind. He ducked quickly turning to face his attacker who held a dangerous looking sword. The man moved to swing again but Houjin thrust forward, knocking him back with a well-placed fire blast.

Sakari jumped back as the hook swords swung past her stomach, almost catching her top. She ducked under the arm of her opponent, thrusting up with her fan and catching him under the arm and knocking one sword away. His other sword swung down, grabbing her arm and taking one of her fans with it. Another man came barreling towards her, a bisento aimed at her heart. Quickly, she raised her leg, bringing her foot crashing down, breaking the long pole before kicking the man in the chest sending him back. She twisted around, freeing her wrist so that she could bend the water from the ground, knocking the man with the hook swords backwards.

"Sakari!" Shui cried out and she nodded running too him. They stood back to back, and taking a deep breath they raised their arms to their sides.

The rain around them froze into icicles. The fighting stopped, amazed but then the two Waterbenders flung their arms, the icicles catching their opponents by their clothes and pinning them where they stood.

"Good one!" Meifeng shouted happily.

Sakari, grinning, turned to Houjin, who was watching her . . . and she saw the fear form on his face. "Watch out!"

Sakari turned just as an arrow flew at her, knocking her backwards. Houjin sighed in relief when he realized the arrow had only pierced her tunic, pinning her to the forest floor. Looking up, Houjin found the archer, taking aim at Shui. Leaping forward, he shot a stream of fire at the rebel but the man fell backwards, his legs holding him to his branch as he shot his arrow, catching Shui's sleeve and pinning him to the tree behind him. With a whistle, two more arrows flew down, catching Meifeng by her skirt and Houjin by his collar. Then the ground rumbled, constricting the teens further.

"Nice work," the second man who attacked Houjin said, her sword pointed at Houjin's neck. He glared at him and the other boy shook his head. "This one's a Firebender. I'm sure we could get some information from him."

"What is going on out here?" The rebels mumbled to themselves, moving out of the way as another woman moved forward. She held in air of authority to her that none of the others seemed to possess, her black hair pinned back away from her face. She walked barefoot, despite the cold weather and there was a scowl on her dirty face as she stared blankly in front of her.

"We found these kids wandering," one of the rebels spoke. "We think there spies."

The woman continued to stare blankly in front of her for a moment before she moved forward, towards Appa.

"Chief, watch it!" the rebel cried. "That thing could be dangerous."

But Appa appeared to be quite pleased to see the young woman. The big beast sniffed her before growling in content as she placed her hand on his nose. "Nice to see you again too, Appa."

Sighing, Toph shook her head, turning back to her followers. "Congratulations! You bozos just captured the Avatar."

* * *

**A/N: And we finally find Toph! How wonderful! Hope you guys liked it :-D see you next time!**


	11. Focus

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hey guys sorry it's been a minute. Just wanna say hey to new Story Alert and Fav Story readers: Melanda. You're awesome! On with the show!**

* * *

Sakari clutched the blanket around her. Being out of the rain had made it easier for them all to dry off but even sitting around the fire didn't help her as she shivered again.

Toph, the blind Master Earthbender her father had boasted about, had brought them to an underground cavern, much to Houjin's despair. And the place wasn't any were near as nice as the one Katara, Mai, and Iroh had helped to build but Toph explained they hadn't had the resources. Mostly their home was made up of tunnels, some visible, some not. Walls shifted constantly, opening up to places like where they sat now in the main chamber, and to bedrooms with rocky beds and practice chambers, almost every inch of the place lit with torches.

After they had escaped Ba Sing Se, Toph had chosen to stay near the former Earth Kingdom City, just on the other side of the Serpent's pass. People leaving the city, Earthbenders and others of the like, were also seeking refugee and Toph provided it. They hid there in their little underground home, only leaving to fetch supplies from the nearest village.

Here though, they had been safe. Here they could not only keep an ear and an eye out on the ongoing siege but they were also able to freely practice Earthbending. It wasn't just about building like Earthbenders stuck in the city were forced to do. Here they were able to practice how to fight, just in case of course.

Toph had wanted to fight, wanted to take back the Earth Kingdom but Katara and Sokka had encouraged her to wait. The Avatar would reach age soon enough. Without the Avatar, all would be for naught. Toph would be charged with teaching the Avatar Earthbending and when the girl was fully trained, they'd get back what was rightfully theirs.

Sakari didn't tell Toph that she didn't think she'd ever be ready. She hated the fact that everyone stared at her with this great sense of wonder and awe and faith. She didn't have that much faith in herself at all, didn't think even Houjin did.

Why she cared so much about what he thought about her, she'd never truly understand but it did matter. She wanted him to have faith in her, faith that she'd be a great Avatar. Until he did . . . .

A wooden, bowl-like cup appeared in front of her face, the liquid inside steaming so appealingly.

Sakari looked up to see Houjin standing in front of her, holding the cup. She smiled at him, taking the cup. "Thank you. I mean for everything not just the soup."

Houjin shrugged. "Wouldn't help us any if you were to die or get sick. You're our last means of freedom."

Sakari's smile fell and she looked down. "Oh. Okay."

Houjin nodded before he walked off, leaving her to go and speak with a man Toph had introduced as Haru.

"He's lying you know." Sakari looked to her left to see Toph sitting next to her, a slight smile on her face. "Well, sort of. A lot of what he said was true but they aren't his only reasons."

Sakari stared at her. "How can you tell?"

Toph sipped on her soup, letting out a belch before she continued. "I was born blind. I learned Earthbending from the Badger Moles. They taught me that I could 'see' without actually seeing. I can feel the vibrations in the ground through my feet. It helps me to see where I'm going, who I'm fighting, and, like Houjin, who's lying. It comes in handy when people try to send spies into our territory."

"Really?" Sakari asked, amazed. "That sounds incredible. Could you teach me how to do that?"

Toph smirked. "It's not that easy but I can teach you what you can learn. Haru normally teaches the others, near noon. You'll be working with him but you also be working with me. Earth is not an easy element so don't think you'll be getting any easy treatment."

"Of course not," Sakari agreed enthusiastically.

"Good. We'll start first thing tomorrow morning."

* * *

"Um. How is this possibly –?"

"Concentrate!"

Sakari's mouth snapped shut at her Master's interruption. It was the only thing she could do since she couldn't see anything. Toph had forced her to put a blindfold on.

The past two days had been hard. Working with Haru, who was kind but firm, was hard enough. Of course she was far behind some of the other students and knew little to nothing about Earthbending. It wasn't like Waterbending, which was all about moving with the flow; no Earthbending involved her hitting things straight on like Toph forever reminded her.

But Toph wasn't patient like Haru. Toph was just as tough as the element she yielded, unyielding, relentless. Sakari's feet were rough now, she felt dirty almost constantly, and she was sore. She couldn't even count the number of bruises she had on her body at the moment and those had been from times when she could see.

What on earth (no pun intended) was she going to do blindfolded?

"Earthbending is about what you can _feel_," Toph was saying. Sakari's ears pricked as the Earthbending Master walked around her. "You have to listen to it, be attuned to it. Here."

Sakari fumbled as Toph threw a club to her. It hit her squarely in her left shoulder before she could grasp it in her hands.

"Now listen, Princess. Focus on the earth and feel it."

And she absolutely hated the nicknames: Princess (because she acted so 'dainty'), Giggles (cause when they first started lessons, she couldn't stop laughing and 'shut her trap'), Wide Eyes (just because, Toph had said). That had gotten really old, really fast.

Sakari nodded, holding the club above her head. Suddenly the ground lifted underneath her right foot and she lost her balance, feeling a rock hit her shoulder. She hit the ground hard but she wasn't there long before a column of earth lifted her back on her feet.

"Stand firm, Princess!" Toph shouted angrily.

Again, she prepared herself, trying to stand still but the ground kept rising in columns beneath her feet, falling back to the ground. And still, rocks flew at her and she swung the club, rocks pummeling her arms, legs, and sides.

Sakari planted herself again, swinging to her right. The metal club vibrated in her hands as she busted a rock, little bits of grainy earth flying past her, sending a pain up her arms. A whistle in her ears alerted her to the rocks that were flying towards her.

With a cry, she flung her self to the ground, the rocks colliding with each other and bursting apart. She sat up, angrily ripping off the blindfold and getting to her feet, letting the club drop nosily to the ground.

Toph stomped over to her, an angry expression on her face. "What do you think you're doing?"

Sakari bowed quickly. "I'm sorry, Shifu Toph. This isn't working. I can't do this."

She was beyond angry really. She was hurt and tired and hadn't learned a thing about Earthbending since she had been among the rebels. This was pointless if all Toph was going to do was scream and throw rocks at her.

Toph stared at her. "You're lying."

"What?" Sakari said, aghast. "I am not!"

"Yes you are!" Toph poked her hard in her shoulder. "You're angry so show it! Stop acting like you have to smile all the time, Princess! It's time you got mad! You won't be able to just smile at Azula. You're going to have to use all that power that was given to you! Earthbending is about force so use it! Get mad! Scream, shout! Stop apologizing and do something!"

Sakari shook her head, taking a step back from her teacher. She wasn't an angry person, she never had been. She hated to cry, hated to show anyone anything other than her completely happy side. If it were up to her, she'd be happy all the time. "I'm sorry. Maybe I just need a break."

She quickly scooted it around the Earthbender, only to find herself faced with a stone wall. With a frustrated grunt, she stomped her heel down, raising the wall. It was the one and only Earthbending move she had gotten any good at. Not noticing the small smirk on Toph's face, she disappeared into one of the many narrow tunnels that made up the underground cavern. She stopped for a minute before going down the tunnel to her right, trying to remember which way Toph had led her. She had never come down this way without the older woman.

"Sakari right?" The Waterbender turned to her right, only to find a young man standing there. She recognized him from her classes with Haru. He couldn't have been much older than her. His hair was chopped short though the front was longer, dangling in front of green eyes. He grinned at her. "You look a little lost."

Sakari sighed, shaking her head. "Is it that obvious?"

The boy shrugged. "Only a little. Want me to show you back to the main chamber? I think I saw your friend Meifeng there a moment ago."

"Sure."

He motioned for her to follow him in the opposite direction of which she had been going, leading the way but eventually he slowed to walk besides her. "My name's Gen by the way."

"It's nice to meet you," Sakari said with a bright smile.

Gen smiled back, motioning behind them. "Where were you coming from, anyway?"

"Lessons with Shifu Toph. She figured I'd need all the help I could get. . . . She's pretty much right."

Gen chuckled. "You've gotten better over the last couple of days in Haru's class. I wouldn't let Toph get to you. She's always like that really."

"I never expected her to be anything but, what with the way dad always talked about her." Sakari shook her head. "It's just hard. I don't understand what I'm not getting."

"Hmm." Gen drew a stop, gently taking Sakari's hand. "If you want, I could give you some advice. Would you like that?"

"I wouldn't want to bother you."

Gen grinned widely. "You act as if we have something better to do. Come on."

He pulled her just a bit of a ways further down the hall before stopping again. He stomped down his heel, the solid wall in front of them raising up to reveal another practice room. Fire-lit torches brightened up this darkened room too. It wasn't as big as the one she had been in with Toph, but it was obviously a practice room, the ground unleveled and broken, same with the walls.

Gen ushered Sakari inside, closing the stone wall behind him before he turned to her again, leaning against it. "So tell me what you know about Earthbending so far?"

Sakari shrugged. "It's about force and strength."

"Is that all?"

The young girl nodded and Gen shook his own head, a slight smile on his face. "Toph doesn't like to beat around the bush with details. It's always about diving in head first. No, that's part of it, but there's so much more."

"More than being stubborn and headstrong?" Sakari asked sarcastically.

"Much more." Gen squatted low, his hands forming fists at his sides. Taking a deep, stilling breath, he stomped forward, raising a rock the size of his head before he kicked at it, sending it crashing into the wall with a resounding boom. "Earth is the element of substance. Earth_bending_ is all about strength and defense but it's also about waiting and listening for the right moment to strike, just like Toph does. Being blind hasn't made it easier for her to do this though but she is more attuned to the earth than anyone else. She waits and she listens to the earth and because she can do this, she can do anything a 'seeing' person can do but so much better. You can't always rely on your ears. Your other senses come in handy when it comes to dealing with Earth. Are you following?"

"Sort of."

"It's all about focus. Determination. Here. Sit down." Gen took her hands again, sitting her down across from him on the ground. He turned her hands so her palms were facing the ceiling, placing his hands under hers. "I had to force her to show me this. Now close your eyes and just . . . feel."

Sakari gazed at her new friend skeptically for a moment before she closed her eyes, taking deep even breaths like Gen.

For a moment, it was unnerving, sitting there in silence, doing absolutely nothing but breathing. She was tired. If they kept this up any longer, she'd fall asleep.

"Focus," Gen muttered, interrupting her musings and her fidgeting.

Sakari took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly.

"There," Gen whispered, suddenly. "Do you feel that?"

"No," Sakari admitted.

Gen took her hands again, turning them so that her palms were now facing her down. Gently, he pulled her forward, pressing her hands against the ground. "What about now?"

Sakari concentrated, her brow furrowing.

There.

It was hard to tell but she could have sworn she felt footsteps. She didn't know who's of course, or where they were coming from but they were definitely there, near by, echoing through her fingertips.

Was this how it was for Toph?

"I get it," she said, opening her eyes to find Gen smiling at her.

She smiled back, biting her bottom lip before she jumped to her feet. She stomped down her heel, the door wall rising.

"Where are you going?" Gen asked.

"To finish my lesson," Sakari told him, her smile widening. "Thank you, Gen."

"You're welcome . . . Sakari. Anytime."

Sakari hesitated slightly. "I'm holding you to that."

Gen smirked at her and Sakari couldn't help but blush. Giving him a small wave, she hurried down the hall, back in the direction of Toph's classroom.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for Gen! BTW he's not really related to any of the canon characters. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I apologize for it taking so long to update. Thanks for reading.**


	12. Something

**Disclaimer: Not Mine.**

**A/N: Hello to new Story Alert and Fav Story Reader: shel263; and Fav Author reader: AyumiiUzimaki. You guys are fantastic! On with the show!**

* * *

_Fire, smoke, and death filled the air._

_Houjin coughed. _

_He was suffocating and his eyes burning._

_Arms outstretched he tried to make his way forward, that being the only way he could think to go. It was so dark he wasn't even sure if he was in a place that technically existed anymore._

_People were screaming and crying and Houjin could just feel the pain that surrounded him._

_Where was everyone? Where were Toph and her rebels? Where were Shui and Meifeng?_

_Where was Sakari?_

"_Houjin."_

_He spun, trying to find the person who called him. His feet felt like lead and suddenly he was falling on his back, hitting the ground hard._

"_Houjin."_

_Houjin turned over, his eyes widening and his heart stopping. "No," he gasped._

_Sakari laid before him, eyes glazed over, staring lifelessly in his direction. A trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth to the ground and Houjin noticed the pool of blood that surrounded her._

"_Houjin."_

_The boy scrambled backwards, horrified and at lost for what to do now. Sakari stretched her hand on towards him._

"_Why didn't you save me?" those eyes seem to say. "Why didn't you protect me?"_

"_No," Houjin said again, shaking his head._

_The ground around them seemed to break apart and Sakari's body feel into the bottomless pit._

"_Houjin."_

"No!" Houjin screamed, sitting up and grabbing onto the arms of the person in front of him.

"Houjin! Houjin it's okay!"

Houjin shook his head again, bringing his rocky room back to focus.

"Sakari!" he cried, realizing who he was holding onto. "Are you all right?"

The girl nodded, her eyes wide. "Are you? You were mumbling in your sleep."

She was okay. He hadn't lost her. Gently, he let go of her arms, looking away from her. "It was just a nightmare. What are you doing in here anyway?"

"Dinner's almost over and I thought you might be hungry so I came to get you." Sakari was still eyeing him warily. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes," Houjin replied, frustrated. "Quit asking."

A boy appeared in the open doorway suddenly, stopping. Houjin glared at him, recalling that Sakari had introduced him as Gen, a boy from her classes. They had been spending a lot of time together. Gen grinned at them. "Hey Houjin. Sakari, Toph's looking for you."

"Oh, okay." Sakari got to her feet, looking back down at Houjin. "I've – I've got to go."

Houjin waved her off, running his hands through his hair. When he looked up again, Sakari was leaving his room, Gen taking her hand and gazing down at her with this look.

Houjin didn't like that look.

Groaning to himself at his own stupidity, he got up, going to the Main chamber for the last remains of dinner.

* * *

Shui cried out as he fell backwards.

"Come on, Shui!" Meifeng cried out. "Show some backbone!"

"What do you expect me to do?" he yelled back at her, trying to ignore the laughter from the small audience that had gathered. "She's been trained by a Kyoshi Warrior! Do you really expect me to beat that?"

"I expect you to stop whining!"

Sakari giggled, offering her hand to Shui. Shui glared up at her before taking her hand and getting to her feet. "You're lucky I don't have enough water. I do most of my best fighting with water."

Meifeng snorted. "Excuses! Now who's next?"

The room became silent and no one dared move. Meifeng shook her head at a group of boys who had lowered their gaze. "Come on, someone! Sakari needs to practice fighting without bending. Who will step up and help her train?"

Again, no one moved.

"Way to go, Sakari," Gen said, grinning at her. "You've scared off even some of the toughest of our fighters."

Gen was ambushed by outraged friends, all making excuses for why they wouldn't fight 'a girl'.

"I'll take you." Everyone looked up as Houjin entered the large arena.

Meifeng couldn't help the smirk that came to her face as Houjin walked to the middle of the arena to face Sakari. She wondered where he had gotten off to. The whole time they had been here he had been acting very sullen and quiet and every once in a while she'd catch him glaring at Sakari and Gen who had been hanging around each other more and more often.

"We have a challenger," Meifeng said, grinning. "Opponents! Face each other and bow."

Sakari stole a quick glance at Meifeng before she looked back to Houjin, whose hair was loose about his face, framing those golden eyes of his. They bowed, their eyes never leaving the others.

Houjin slid one foot back, his arms up, one hand protecting his face and the other his chest. Sakari followed suit, raising one arm over her head with her fan expanded.

"Fair fight!" Meifeng called out. "No bending, no underhanded blows! Winner is the one who knocks their opponent down first! Ready?"

The two nodded and Meifeng shouted, "Begin!"

Houjin moved first, kicking out towards Sakari's stomach. The girl contracted herself backwards, away from his foot before hitting him at his shin, trying to knock him off balance but it didn't work. Houjin spun with her hit, fling his foot back around, this time aimed at her head. Sakari ducked, swinging her leg around to crash against Houjin's one foot. She connected and Houjin fell backwards, his hands extending to push him back up before completely hit the ground.

He jabbed at her, and she blocked it, knocking it aside with her fan, quickly moving to block his other punch before palming him in the chest, pushing him back. Houjin smirked and Sakari returned the expression before she attacked.

Meifeng watched them in awe. They were both so good that each punch, jab, and kick was blocked and parried before the other could really get close. Sakari lost her fans but she kept fighting, skills coming forth that Meifeng didn't even know she had. The same went for Houjin really. She always knew her best friend could fight and knew that he wasn't going easy on Sakari at the moment but it was almost choreographed, as if they had planned this.

If it wasn't so violent, it would have appeared that they were dancing with the way they spun around each other and flowed with the other's moves.

Sakari kicked out, surprised when Houjin grabbed her by the ankle and twisted. She spun over, loosing her footing, quickly extending her hands to catch her before she hit the ground. Pushing backwards, her free foot connected with Houjin's forearm, knocking her free so that she could stand again.

Meifeng shook her head. They could keep this up all day, she realized. A woman came in and announced that lunch was ready, though no one seemed to notice, so drawn to the spar that was going on in front of them.

Getting up from the rocky platform where she had been sitting, Meifeng jumped to the ground between her two fighting friends, pushing out in their direction and blowing them gently backwards from each other. It was enough of a surprise though to knock them both to the ground. Grinning she said, "How about we call this one a draw for now?"

The small audience agreed, clapping and cheering for the two benders before moving out of the cave. Shui was caught in the crowd, trying to defend his honor as a couple of his new friends laughed at his defeat. Meifeng smiled, following after the troupe before turning around to call for Sakari and Houjin.

They weren't paying attention to anyone in the slightest however. Houjin had gotten up and was helping Sakari up off the floor. She smiled at him, bowing, a gesture that he returned, their eyes, once again, never leaving the others.

"You, eh," Houjin began, finally looking down and running a hand through his hair, "you're really very good."

Sakari stared at him for a moment before breaking into a brilliant grin, a slight blush on her face. Maybe she realized, as Meifeng had, that that was the first compliment Houjin had ever spared her. "I had a really very good opponent, too."

"Thanks," Houjin replied and, surprisingly, he gave her a smile that even Meifeng hadn't ever really seen, and she had known him longer.

"Hey Sakari!" The three teens turned as Gen suddenly appeared back in the doorway. "You coming?"

Sakari looked back at Houjin again before nodding and moving to Gen, her blush deepening when she saw Meifeng standing there, probably wondering for how long. Meifeng smiled sadly as the younger girl walked off with Gen before she looked back to Houjin who was watching the two who had just left.

"Houjin," Meifeng started, but she wasn't quite sure what to say.

He glared at her then though his apparent anger couldn't hide the blush that formed on his face as he too understood that Meifeng had been standing there. "What?" he asked angrily but didn't give her a chance to respond as he stormed past her, probably going to his room.

Meifeng shook her head again but couldn't help the small smile on her face.

Something was happening with her oldest friend. Something very different and very, very good.

* * *

Sakari stood in a deep squat, feeling the sweat that slid down her face.

Toph pushed her, hard, on her back but Sakari remained immovable.

"Very good, Giggles," Toph muttered.

Sakari took a deep breath, stilling herself for whatever came next. Toph was unpredictable.

The ground rumbled, suddenly lifting up and rising Sakari at least a foot in the air. Normally, this would have knocked her off balance but she still remained firm.

Toph quickly moved in front of her, a small smirk on her face as she stomped down, raising a boulder the size of her head. The rock came speeding towards Sakari who quickly grabbed her fans from her belt. Jumping, she slashed downward, cutting the boulder in half as soon as the fans hit it.

Toph continued to send rocks spiraling at her and Sakari continued to break them apart, reducing them to rubble. With a grunt, Toph sent one last larger than both of them boulder in her direction and, with a cry, Sakari kicked out and slammed her heel into the ground, a column of earth shooting out of the ground and shooting up to slam the giant boulder into the roof, crushing it.

The column fell amongst the other rubble, which zoomed in Toph's direction, gathering around her like a suit of rocky armor. Arms outstretched, the older woman sped forward at Sakari. The girl dropped her fans and met her Master half way, gripping tightly to her hands. Sakari strained, pushing against the rock suit, twisting her feet in the ground to get better traction. Taking a deep breath, she pushed, finally manage to move Toph away from her. Letting go with one hand, she aimed a punch at the chest of the armor, breaking it.

Toph stepped back, wiping dust and dirt from her clothing before looking up at Sakari with a wide smile. "Very good. You have the strength of a natural born Earthbender."

Sakari grinned, bowing. "Thank you for teaching me."

Stretching her arms above her head, Toph fell back onto the rock floor, leaving an indentation of her body. "I have to tell you, I was worried, Giggles, but you've definitely gotten better over these last few weeks. A couple more practices and you'll be a Master in no time."

"Can't wait," Sakari mumbled, sliding down the wall and wiping sweat from her face. Hesitantly, she looked over to the woman on the floor, twirling her fingers together. "Er – Shifu Toph?"

Toph sighed. "I've told you over and over again. Just Toph, okay?"

"Right, well, Toph? Er – what do you know about, er, boys?"

The strong Earthbender sat up quickly, her blank eyes gazing forward. "What?"

"Boys," Sakari repeated, looking down as a blush formed on her face.

Toph cleared her throat. "That's a very random question to ask, Giggles."

"I know I just. . . . I'm confused I think and I'm not quite sure what to think and I was hoping that maybe you could help me figure out what –"

"Giggles." Sakari looked up to Toph who was gazing in her general direction. "I don't really have anything to tell you. But – what would Katara say. . . .? At the end of it all, it really depends on what your heart feels. Nothing I say will make any difference. . . . Now come on, that's enough of a break. Time for more practice."

Sighing, Sakari got to her feet, positioning herself in front of her teacher.

Too bad she couldn't really understand what her heart was feeling.

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**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you liked this chapter. It may be a while before I update again. I'm heading back to school but I'll update ASAP. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Bad

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hello to new Favorite story reader: Kristi N Raynor! You're the bee's knees!**

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"Where are we going?" Sakari asked.

Gen smiled back at her, squeezing her hand gently. "You'll see."

Sakari looked up at the darkening sky. Just like when she had stayed at Katara's underground hideaway, Sakari and her friends hadn't stepped foot out into the daylight in almost a month and a half. It was nice to smell the trees and bend water and feel the air against her skin.

It was wonderful.

She really did appreciate Gen bringing her out here but she wished she knew why. They had been walking for what felt like ages now.

"Is it safe?" she had asked.

"Of course. We patrol these areas constantly. No way is anyone getting passed our guards. We're almost there."

Gen helped her over a fallen log before they cleared the forest, coming out onto a ledge that overlooked the clear and bright sea. Gen pulled Sakari in front of him, pointing over her shoulder in the distance. "See that? That is what was Ba Sing Se, home to Azula and prison for Fire Nation Traitors like Fire Lord Zuko, the greats."

Sakari could almost make it out. The walls had been torn down so the flickering of lights could almost be made out across the vast distance. "Have you ever been there?" she asked.

Gen shrugged. "Once, when I was very young. My mom and I escaped from there. Toph found us and we've been here ever since."

"Have you ever thought of going back?"

"Of course but, see that?" Gen pointed to the west of them. "That's Serpent Pass. It's dangerous to get across that and even more dangerous once you get into the city."

Gen moved past her, standing at the very edge, overlooking the water. Sakari walked to stand next to him. "Why did you bring me here?"

The young Earthbender shrugged again. "This is my thinking spot. I come here when I get tired of being stuck underground, when I feel like I'm going to be there forever. This place gives me hope. Ba Sing Se may be far away but it's there. The fact that it's still there means I could end up there again soon, in a better way, home. It's hope."

Reaching over, he grabbed her hand again, smiling down at her. "You give me hope."

Sakari blushed, looking away from him but Gen placed his hand under her chin, gently moving her eyes back to his.

And then he kissed her.

* * *

"Hello Houjin." The boy in question glared up at the pretty young girl who had approached him, a smile on her face. She had introduced herself before. Something along the lines of Ning. "I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to take a walk with me. It's a beautiful night outside and we could sneak out and –"

"No."

"Are you sure? The stars are out and –"

"Leave me alone."

Startled by his brief and angry dismissal the girl walked away. Shui looked over at his friend. "What's got your fangs out tonight?"

Houjin ignored him, staring across the fireplace at Sakari and Gen. He didn't like this at all. They had only been here a little over a month. There was no reason they should be sitting so close, no reason Gen's fingers should be holding onto hers like that, no reason for her laughing like that, like everything Gen said was so perfectly funny.

She didn't smile at him like that.

He wasn't blind. Houjin could see how pretty Sakari was with that curly chestnut hair of hers and those big blue innocent eyes. That ditzy, annoying smile. . . .

There was no reason she should be flirting about like that. She was the Avatar. She had much more important stuff to think about than what Gen thinks about her or if he thinks she's pretty or if he thinks she's interesting or . . . .

Houjin realized his reasoning wasn't sound. If the Avatar didn't love, there'd be no Meifeng or Shui. Technically, there would even be any him. His great-great grandfather was Avatar Roku after all.

So why did this bug him so much?

Sakari's giggle rang across the pit and Gen reached up, moving a curl of hair away from her face. Houjin glared.

"Earth to Houjin," Shui muttered, waving his hand in front of his friend's face. "What's wrong with you? You're temper's making the fire rise."

Realize that it had indeed gotten hotter in the area, Houjin took a deep breath, sitting back. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"You're sure?" Shui asked. "You've been preoccupied all through dinner."

"I'm fine, I just –" Houjin looked back over at Sakari and Gen. "I don't like the way he looks at her."

"Who?"

"Gen. I don't like the way he looks at Sakari."

Shui made a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We've only been here a month. She doesn't know him at all and she spends all her time with him. I don't trust him and I don't like the way he looks at her."

"Hmm." Shui glanced over at the topic of their conversation. Looking down, he seemed to be contemplating what he wanted to say. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure about what?"

Shui took a deep breath. "Are you sure it's not that you don't like the way _Sakari _looks at _Gen_?"

In front of them, the fire roared suddenly, hot, fierce and wild. The inhabitants of the underground cavern gasped and backed up, including Gen and Sakari. Of course, everyone's eyes were drawn to the only Firebender in the midst at the moment.

"Hey Hothead!" Houjin turned to find Toph storming towards him. "Do you have a problem?"

"No, I'm fine," Houjin said angrily but the fire was still burning hotter than it had been a moment before.

"This place can only take so much," Toph told him. "If you've got to let out some anger, take it outside before you hurt someone."

Houjin got to his feet, ignoring the many people watching him as he stormed out of the cavern.

Ning had been right. The sky was beautiful right now, the stars bright but Houjin didn't see any of it. He stormed through the dense trees until he found the clearing he had been going to for practicing. It was easier to practice outside, away from the fearful glances he got when people saw him.

Slowly at first, he began his drills. Punch, punch, kick, punch, kick, roundhouse, duck, sweep, jump up, continue. . . . Each jab, each kick ended with an arc of fire that soon began to get wilder and less controlled.

He was so angry and the worst thing was he didn't know why!

It was Sakari's fault he was sure of it. Her fault that she was so trusting. Her fault that she so obviously, desperately counted on him to approve of her. Her fault because she was constantly haunting his dreams. Her fault because – because she was so – so . . . .

Yelling loudly, he punched out, fire erupting from his fist and scorching the tree in front of him before he fell to his knees, sweat dripping down his chest and face and his breath coming out in gasp. Cursing, he slammed his fist into the ground.

This was so not good.

"Houjin?"

Cursing to himself again, he sat up straight, wiping his brow and sweeping his hair out of his face. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to check you." Houjin clinched his fist as he heard Sakari move closer. "Are you alright?"

Houjin got to his feet. "I'm fine."

Sakari eyed the tree in front of them. "It doesn't look like it."

"I said I'm fine!" Houjin yelled, turning to face her. She cringed back, as if he would actually ever think about hurting her. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was starting to get a headache and desperately didn't want her to think he was always angry with her. "I'm fine. You didn't need to come out here and check on me."

A hand touched his and he looked up into those deep blue eyes, surprised to find her smiling at him in that way she had been smiling at Gen. "I wanted to."

Houjin looked away, sighing and shaking his head. "I don't know what I'm doing."

There was a pause and then Sakari's hand tightened around his, pulling him away from the clearing. "Where are you taking me?" he asked, exasperated.

Sakari looked back at him over her shoulder, smiling brightly. "To see your dad."

* * *

For Spirit's Sakes!

Meifeng stopped, leaning against the stone wall, breathing heavily.

Where were they?

Last she had seen of Sakari and Houjin, they had gone outside. That had been hours ago and now, they weren't back and they weren't still outside.

She was beginning to think it was their sole job to drive her insane, just like normal brothers and sisters. Meifeng ran forward again, now intent on finding Shui. Maybe he had seen them.

Hopping on her air scooter, Meifeng flit down the hall, scurrying along the ceiling to avoid people walking towards her. Finally she reached the training room where Shui was sparing with some of the other boys. He was getting very good at his hand to hand combat without bending she noticed but that was beyond the point.

"Shui!" she cried jumping to the ground. Her younger brother looked up with a grin but it quickly faded when he saw how serious she looked. Excusing himself he ran over quickly, allowing her to pull him from the room.

"They're gone," Meifeng said immediately.

"Who?"

"Who else? Sakari and Houjin! They're gone!"

"I'm sure they're just outside." Shui smirked. "Maybe they're sparring."

Meifeng knocked him upside of the head. "Don't be vulgar. Besides, I've already checked. They're not outside, they're not in their rooms, their not anywhere."

Shui turned serious. "Where do you think they could've gone?"

"No clue but we have to leave now. We have to find them."

"Running off without a plan will get you no where." Shui and Meifeng turned to see Toph walking towards them. She stared vaguely in their direction. "We'll never find them if we don't at least of a direction to go in. Now, have you asked Gen?"

Meifeng slammed her palm against her forehead. "Of course!"

The trio found Gen relaxing in the dining quarter, talking to a few of his friends. When he saw his leader approaching, he stood and joined them. "What's going on?" he asked when he saw their expressions.

"Have you seen Sakari anywhere?" Toph asked.

Gen shook his head. "Not since the whole fire incident at dinner. She ran out to check on Houjin. I haven't seen her since."

"Well there goes that theory," Shui muttered. "Where could they have gone?"

"Appa's still here. That means they can't have gotten far," Meifeng told them, shaking her head, "wherever it is there going."

"This is bad," Gen said suddenly looking pale.

"You can say that again," Shui agreed. "Leave it to the two most wanted people in the world to –"

"No this is bad because – because I told Sakari how to get to Ba Sing Se. I told her that that's where they're keeping Fire Lord Zuko."

Silence fell over the small group of people. Toph was the first to break it. "Right, they've been gone a while now. They have a good amount of time ahead of us but if we leave now and with Appa we'll catch them before they reach the city. Haru," Toph called over to the older man in the corner. "Take care of things will you. Let's go."

Nodding, Shui and Meifeng followed the Earthbender to Appa, hopefully to save their friends before they did something dangerous.

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**A/N: Hey guys sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you guys liked this chapter though and I'll see you next time.**


	14. Ba Sing Se

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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The figure looked up as a large bison flew over his head. It was dark but he could make out the shape and size of the huge animal.

A smirk appeared on his face.

About time.

* * *

Winter had surely taken over. Chunks of ice floated in the water around them as Sakari and Houjin walked across Serpant's Pass. Houjin defitintely would have opted for Appa if he had known what a walk this would have been, despite the fact that it would have been colder in the air.

There breaths came out in little puffs and goosebumps appeared on their arms. Houjin stared at Sakari's back for a moment before reaching out to grab her wrist, which felt like ice under his finger tips.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked her when she looked back.

Sakari stared at him surprised. "Because I wanted too.'

"Okay but why? I mean, I haven't exactly been the nicest person to you lately."

Sakari bit her lip and shrugged. "If it had been me, if I had the chance to see my parents again, I would want it. You have a chance Houjin, so I'm helping you take it. Oh. . . ."

Sakari stopped and Houjin moved up beside her. In front of them, the path was broken, a gapping whole of icy water between where they stood and the rest of the path. Sakari brushed her hands together, blowing into them. "I guess we could either go under or over."

"Uh. . . ." Houjin peered into the water, noticing the ominous shape swimming below. "Probably be best if we go above."

"Right." Sakari swung her arms, pushing the water and forming an icy path. She started out first, keeping a steady control on the water in front of her. Houjin followed behind, looking down into the water. Sakari's ice path looked sturdy enough and it reached down far. They'd be okay,

The path shook violently, suddenly, as if something had slammed into the side. Houjin looked down again, his eyes widening at whatever monstrosity was below them. "We need to hurry."

Sakari nodded, freezing the water in front of them. Houjin caught up to her again, taking her hand and pulling her quickly along.

A large monsterous serpant suddenly burst from the water, roaring with furosity. Sakari screamed and Houjin jumped in front of her, holding his hands out. A stream of fire came within inches of the creature who roared again, moving as far away as it could from the heat.

"Come on!" Houjin yelled, grabbing Sakari again and pulling her down the icy path. They were almost there, they could make it!

The serpant sped towards them, rearing up out of the water, ready to strike once more.

A loud cry echoed through the air as Meifeng fell from the sky. With a huge effort, she swung her glider when she landed in front of her younger friends. A ferocious gust of air knocked the monster away, slamming it into the rocky surface behind it. Hissing once more, the serpant swam away.

Houjin took a sigh of relief, looking to Sakari who was shaking. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, brushing the lose wisps of hair out of her face. Houjin turned to his childhood friend, her back to him. "Meifeng I don't know how –"

The Airbender turned, her expression fierce and angry. Behind her, Appa hovered just above the icy path, Shui holing his reigns and Toph sitting in the large saddle. "Get on the bison. Now."

Houjin didn't argue, like he might have normally done, but instead, he grabbed Sakari's hand again, pulling her to Appa's tail and climbing up his back. Meifeng followed, floating up into the saddle with great ease. "We're going back to the hideout," she said to Shui.

"What?" Houjin cried finally speaking up. "We can't!"

"Of course we can! This was stupid and dangerous and irresponsible! How dare you drag Sakari into your foolhardy schemes!"

"Drag _her _–!"

"It was my idea," Sakari interrupted. "I was the one that came up with this."

"That's worse! Do you not realize that the entire world is out for your blood?"

"Hey!" Houjin cut in. "Don't yell at her! This isn't her fault!"

"Well then whose fault is it?"

"Look I just want to see my dad! This is my one chance Meifeng. Please."

Meifeng glared at them for a moment before she turned to look at Tonks. The older woman shrugged, a smile on her face. "Your decision to make, Princess."

Huffing, the Airbender turned to look at her brother who was watching her. "You know what it would be like if it was us, Meifeng. . . ."

Unfortunately he was right. Sighing, Meifeng shook her head. "Fine. But, if we do this," she added before Houjin could interrupt, "we do it in an orderly fashion. In and out. This is Azula's home if you recall and Sakari has a prize over her head. If we do this, we do it smartly."

"Agreed," Houjin said, nodding.

"Good." Meifeng hopped to Appa's head, taking his reigns. "To Ba Sing Se, boy."

The large animal snorted and once more they were flying through the air.

* * *

Ba Sing Se had undergone great changes in the years of Azula's reign. For one, most of the inhabitants of the great city were now of Fire Nation desent. Any Earthbenders left here were slaves, all of them working to expand the city meaning all the walls that had surrounded the city were gone . . . except for the one that had incircled the inner city, Azula's palace and where all the worst prisioners were kept in the crystal mines underneath.

Now it was late. Slaves had been sent home to prepare for another long day while a few guards walked the perimeters. There was no such thing as a rebellion here. Hope was gone in the former strong Benders that had ruled this kingdom. No news of the Avatar existed here because Azula wouldn't let it be. The Avatar gave hope and that wasn't something she could risk ever.

A guard now walked the silent streets. Earthbender or Firebender it was always hard to tell. But it didn't matter to the Earth that rose up, enclosing him and pulling him into a dark alley.

This happened three more times across the lower circle, guards disappearing without so much as a chance to cry for help.

Silence ensued once more before four soldiers appeared from the last alley, two of them holding a prisoner between them, a bag over her face and her feet bare.

It was actually working, Sakari realized as they moved through the city quietly but surely under Toph's quiet whispers through the bag that covered her head. She hadn't been sure, when Meifeng and Toph crafted this plan that they'd get away with it. She had been sure that one of the guards would get free in some way and they'd be caught. But they hadn't and now they were nearing the palace, which stood mighty and tall, yet desolate in front of them.

Sakari turned suddenly, looking over her shoulder.

What was that?

"We have to keep moving," Meifeng whispered, gently pushing Sakari's shoulder. Sakari nodded, turning back around but still feeling as if eyes were watching her.

The group froze as a guard appeared at the top of the palace steps hurrying down to meet them. "What's going on here?"

Shui glanced back at the rest of them, fear evident in his eyes before he looked back to the guard. "We're uh – we just –"

The guard reached the bottom of the stairs and peered into Houjin's helmet, a smiling appearing on his face as he noticed the bright gold eyes. "It does my heart proud to see young people fighting for our nation. What did it do?"

It was clear that he was talking about Toph. Her fist clenched and Houjin quickly spoke up. "We caught her using Earthbending outside of her duties, practicing."

"Well done soliders. Take it to the catacombs. Maybe that'll teach them a lesson." He saluted and Meifeng and Sakari saluted back since Shui and Houjin were holding Toph. The guard left and, following Toph's direction, they moved to the side of the palace where two Dai-li agents stood at ready.

"One for the catacombs," Shui said, clearly enjoying this.

The agents glanced at one another before stepping back and stomping down hard on the ground, opening the secret entrance to the crystal catacombs. Quickly, the five rebels moved inside, their only escape closing behind them.

"We'll be fine," Toph said, taking the bag from her face. "Come on, follow me."

The once beautiful catacombs had gone through desperate changes as well. Only a few bright crystals remained, the rest removed to insert metal cages, unbreakable to Earthbenders.

Hopeless eyes gazed out of the bars at the passing strangers, tearing at Sakari's heart. She wished now that she could save them all but knew there'd be no way, not when she only had two elements mastered and really couldn't do much to save anyone. Where would they go.

She looked up when Houjin grabbed her hand. His eyes portrayed everything she felt at that moment. She felt helpless. "We'll help them Sakari. We're going to win this war."

She nodded and let him pull her away from the prisoners, following after Toph, Meifeng and Shui. Toph moved steathly though the darkened catacombs, the rest stumbling behind her. For a moment, Sakari almost forgot the woman was blind especially when she stopped, holding out in arm.

Quickly, Toph put the bag back on, holding out her arms for Shui and Houjin. They grabbed on and the five rebels moved around the corner, coming face to face with two Guards, standing in front of a solid rock wall.

"What are you doing here?" one asked, his frown prominent even through the mask.

"Your shifts over," Shui replied demandingly.

The two guards exchanged glances before stepping forward. Sakari stepped back, into Houjin. They knew!

A gust of wind blew forward, suddenly, picking up to the two guards and knocking them together. The guards fell to the ground in a slump. The group turned around to look at Meifeng. She tore her headgear away, throwing it to the ground. "Sorry I got nervous."

"You were probably right to," Toph said, removing the bag again. "Let's hurry up. We might have caused a commotion."

Quickly, she stomped down, the rock wall sliding up and out of the way. Shui and Meifeng moved the guards out of the way, standing in their place as Toph, Sakari, and Houjin entered the cave.

Moonlight shone through the many small holes created for air circulation, so it was easy to see the bars of a cage and the shadow of the figure seated, legs crossed in the center, eyes closed as if he were meditating. "Who's there?" he asked, his voice deep and measured.

"And here I was thinking you'd be grateful for a few visitors, Sparky," Toph said, her voice gentle and slightly emotional.

The man's eyes snapped open, gold eyes shining in the darkness. "Toph? Toph is that you?"

"I've brought someone for you to meet," Toph told him, stepping aside. "We can't stay long but he's just as stubborn as you are. Go on," she added, pulling Houjin forward into the dim light.

Fire Lord Zuko got to his feet, holding out his palm and illuminating the cave with a flame. "Houjin," he whispered amazed.

Awkwardly, Houjin moved up to the bars, surprise evident as his father reached through the bars and pulled him into a rough hug. After the shock wore off, Houjin wrapped his arms around the bars, hugging his father back. Sakari looked away, feeling as if to look would be an invasion of privacy.

"You must be the Avatar." Sakari looked up, surprised to find the two Firebenders watching her. Houjin looked like his father, almost exactly and now Sakari could see clearly the infamous scar that marred the Fire Lord's skin. "It is a pleasure to meet you . . . but you shouldn't be here. You need to leave now, both of you, before you get caught."

"Well you're coming with us," Houjin replied tuning back to the bars. "We've got to get you out of here."

"No," Zuko said firmly. "That is not your job."

"But –" Houjin's voice turned pleading, almost a whisper. "I _need _you. I can't – I'm not –"

"You are Houjin, son of Mai and Fire Lord Zuko, _my _son. Your job now is to train the Avatar, to help her and protect her. I've been in here for sixteen years," he added with a slight smile. "I'll be fine for a few more months."

A soft gasp shook both of the Firebenders and Houjin spun, mentally berating himself for not being more on his guard.

Shui and Meifeng stood at the mouth of the cave, held back by Firebenders and flaming daggers. Toph was backed up against the wall, held by rock that she could have easily broken through but her eyes were on Sakari, who was held against the chest of a huge guard, his own dagger of flame pointed at her throat.

They were caught.

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**A/N: It's been decades I know! I'm so sorry! I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll see you next time! **


	15. Failure

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Thanks to all those who added this story and/or me to their alerts and/or favorites! I had all your names written here but the dang computer erased them so I apologize! Thanks though! On with the show!**

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_Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump_

This was the sound Sakari heard as a couple of guards pushed her along a dark, desolate corridor, the sound of her heart beating furiously in her chest. She was finding it harder and harder to breathe properly. Any and every thought she could have had at that moment flooded her brain as the guards continued to push her forward.

_I'm going to die._

_I've failed the entire world._

_I'm going to die._

_I'll never see my mom and dad again._

_I'm going to die._

_I never learned the other elements._

_I'm going to die._

_Azula is too powerful._

_I'm going to die._

_I failed Avatar Aang and Yue._

_I'm going to die._

_I've never see Meifeng or Shui or Gen again._

_I'm going to die._

_I'll never see Kyoshi or Bo or Lan._

_I'm going to die._

_I'll never see Junjie and Huan._

_I'm going to die._

_I never got to tell Houjin –_

The guards pushed Sakari to the ground, breaking through her thoughts. The guards quickly backed out, leaving her in a cold dark room, two torches lit by blue flickering flames.

"Hello Avatar."

Sakari slowly got to her feet, her eyes attached to those of gold surrounded by the shadows. The blue light made it hard to see Azula's features but Sakari knew it was her, knew this was the most powerful Firebender in the world.

Azula rose, fluidly and predatorily, moving towards Sakari. The Waterbender lowered her gaze, trying to control her fear. She saw the woman's black shoes, felt the woman's fingers in her hair, twirling one of her curls. She made her way back in front, a smirk on her face. "Well, aren't you a pretty."

Sakari was quiet at lost for what to do really. Azula laughed lightly. "You don't trust me. It's probably for the best. I don't trust anyone either."

Sakari met the woman's eyes, shocked by what she saw. Her eyes searched the room, moving back and forth like a caged animal. Sakari could see the fury, the hidden power . . . the insanity.

"Do you realize what we could do together, Avatar?" Azula whispered. "We, the most powerful women in the entire world, a world we could rule! A world in which everything is perfect because we created it! Think of the possibilities! Join me and we can make it happen."

Sakari took a few steps back. "I'd rather die."

Azula smirked again. "Pity."

Blue flames lit in her palms and with a feral cry she lunged.

* * *

Houjin cried out, rattling the bars of their metal cage. "Bring her back! Bring Sakari back now!"

The guards ignored him, gathering up the armor the rebels had used to sneak into the Catacombs. Among the armor was Shui's waterskins, their only means of cutting through the bars.

Fire blasted from Houjin's palm as he tried to strike a guard but the older man laughed, extinguishing his flame. "You're little Avatar girlfriend is long gone. Now calm down before I send for an Earthbender to bind you. You wouldn't like that."

Laughing the guard and his companion left their prisoners. Smoke poured from Houjin's nostrils. Angrily, he kicked the cage, sending him falling backwards into Shui.

"Houjin," Meifeng started, "please calm down."

"Calm down?" Houjin replied getting to his feet and turning on her. "_Calm down?_ If you haven't realized, Meifeng, Sakari has just been taken to see Azula, the most powerful bender in the world at this time. There's no water up there for her to bend with, she just finished learning Earthbending and she has no training an either of the other two elements! Do you really think this is a time to be calm now?

"Hothead." The two teens stopped, turning to stare at Toph who had gotten up to look at the bars that held them captive. Smirking, she turned back to them. "You really should listen and calm down."

Taking a deep breath she grabbed the bars and a pulled them apart.

* * *

Azula laughed maniacally as she struck, punch, kicked and jabbed at Sakari who worked endlessly to block her moves, her fans flashing as everything her mother had ever taught her seem to have been forgotten.

"You are a worthless excuse for an Avatar!" Azula crowed, placing a kick to Sakari's stomach that sent her flying back, knocking the air out of her.

She looked up in time to see the blast of fire flying at her and surrounded herself in the hard ground. Azula's power was so intense that Sakari could feel the heat through her protective barrier.

"Come out Avatar! Fight me!"

Sakari took a deep gasping breath. She didn't know what to do! All of her training . . . she couldn't remember . . . she – she. . . .

She was panicking.

Sakari took another deep breath, centering herself before she pushed the rocks out with a strong blow. She heard Azula grunt as one of rocks hit its target and Sakari got to her feet. "I am not worthless!"

She spun, throwing more rocks, debris, and stones at Azula, fighting for all she was worth. She would not go out without a fight.

A bolt of lightening came speeding towards her heart and she raised a rocky barrier just in time. The force of Azula's power, however, was so strong, that the lightening broke her protection, sending her flying backwards. She hit the ground hard again, scooting back as Azula moved towards her.

Her strength was waning.

The very thought of Earthbending was tiring.

She wiped the sweat from her brow, swinging her hand and slapping Azula across her face with the perspiration. The Firebender's head was flung to the side and Sakari used the moment of shock to get to her feet. Azula's hair had fallen from its intricate top knot, framing her face. She looked back to Sakari. "Gross."

Sakari's eyes widened as the heat sped towards her again.

* * *

Houjin wasn't sure which way he was running but he knew he had to get to Sakari, had to save her. His dad said she was his priority but that thought hardly crossed his mind as he ran, Shui, Meifeng, and Toph on his heels. He just knew he had to get to her.

"Which way do we go?" Houjin yelled.

"Just keep going straight!" Toph replied.

Houjin sped up, running as fast as he could. Meifeng stayed with, knowing that even if she did get ahead, she wouldn't be able to find Sakari.

He should have fought harder, should have been smarter, should have never let Sakari talk him into this crazy adventure. If he couldn't save her. . . .

A scream like no of them have ever heard before drew the small group to a halt. Meifeng's hands flew to her mouth and she looked to Shui whose eyes were wide and horrified. "Sakari," he whispered.

Houjin spun, turning to Toph who looked as scared but determined. "There has to be a faster way."

Toph moved to the nearest rocky wall, placing her hands against it and moving to the side. She pushed hard against the wall, knocking loss a tunnel. "Come on, hurry," she said, climbing up. From where they stood they could here her knocking loss more gravel and stone, making a secret passage way to where they needed to go.

Meifeng, Shui, and Houjin followed, climbing into the tunnel and following behind the furious Earthbender as she plowed her way through the tunnel. Gravel flew over their heads, thanks to a steady stream of air from Meifeng.

The screamer was louder now, more intense and it made Houjin more frantic than he had been. "Hurry!" he called.

Toph pushed forward harder, faster as they climbed the steep path, traveling right under the Earth Kingdom's palace.

And then the screaming stopped.

Houjin thought he felt his heart stop as well.

Toph gave another almighty stomp, pushing forward and they could now see torch light ahead. Houjin ran forward, somehow managing to maneuver past everyone else though Toph tried to call him back.

His aunt stood in front of them, as powerful and as mighty as he heard but what he saw before him was horrible. Azula had Sakari pinned to a pillar, one hand against her neck and the other encircling her right wrist, totally focused on her torture, a manic smile on her face.

The agonizing pain and fear in Sakari's eyes was evident even from where they stood and Houjin could taste the acrid smell of burning flesh.

"Sakari!" he yelled, moving forward but Shui and Meifeng grabbed him back.

Azula turned, letting go of Sakari who fell to the floor, lifeless. Azula's fists and heels lit, blue flames propelling her forward. Toph leapt into action, stomping the ground and raising her arms. The ground rose and hit the ceiling, forming a barricade that would keep Azula at bay . . . for a while.

Houjin broke free, running to Sakari and lifting her up into his arms. She was bleeding, various cuts and bruises on her body, but the worst were the burns. Her eyes were open, her mouth slack and her breathing coming out in short gasps as she stared up at him.

'_Why didn't you protect me_?'

Houjin felt as if his dream was coming alive before his very eyes. He could feel himself shaking even as Meifeng placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I can heal her," Shui reassured though he didn't seem so sure.

"Not here!" The teens looked up at Toph whose fingers were dug into the barricade. She was shaking with effort as the rock wall trembled. Azula had gotten the Dai-Li agents and was working on breaking through. "Take her and run!"

"But –"

"GO!" she cried out. "I'll be fine!"

They exchanged glances before Houjin slipped his arms underneath Sakari's legs and back, lifting her up. She didn't weigh much . . . or maybe she did. His adrenaline was pumping and everything seemed to be moving slower than he thought.

They ran for the exit of the palace, stopping to look back at Tonks, who was still struggling to keep them safe. Meifeng looked close to tears but she grabbed her younger friends, pushing them forward.

"Do you got her?" Shui asked as they ran through the stone corridors.

Houjin nodded, Sakari's head lolling against his shoulder.

Please be okay. . . .

Please, _please_ be okay. . . .

The moon was lower in the sky now as they ran through the city. They could hear the shuffling of armor as guards spotted them and began pursuit.

"Call Appa!" Shui cried out as they rounded another corner. There was no way they'd get out of this city by themselves. They already felt lost. The only way they had gotten to the palace in the first place was because of Tonk's guidance.

Meifeng fumbled for the whistle under her top, holding it up to her lips and blowing hard. It would take Appa a minute to get to them, Houjin thought as more and more guards approached them. They had left him so far on the outskirts of the city.

Shui led them around the corner and they came to a halt when they realized they couldn't go any further. Guards came from in front and from all sides, trapping them on all sides. Meifeng and Shui pushed Houjin and Sakari behind them, ready to protect against the hordes of guards and soldiers moving towards them.

This was a horrible idea.

They had failed.

Suddenly fire encircled them, the heat intense as it blasted out and scattering the guards in the very front.

A flash of red.

Meifeng and Shui backed up as a man landed in front of them, katana swords grasped in both of his hands. He flashed out, fire hitting back more guards and his swords cutting through the dirt and debris Earth Benders sent.

A roar alerted them to Appa, who landed, brushing his tail and knocking more of their enemies away so that he could land.

Shui climbed up quickly, helping Houjin to lift Sakari on as well before falling them up.

"Watch out!" Meifeng called suddenly. Appa squatted low while the man with the Katanas thrust one blade into the earth, kneeling. Meifeng swung her arms and pushed out, knocking back most of the guards. Quickly she flitted to Appa's neck, grabbing his reigns before she looked to the man fighting for them.

They all watched as a few soldiers got to their feet once more, advancing. "Come on!" Shui cried out.

The man – boy, they realized as he pulled his sword from the ground and turned to them – smirked, his red eyes catching them by surprise. "Go. I'll catch up."

The three friends exchanged glances, not really sure what he meant and not really sure if they wanted him to 'catch up'. Meifeng quickly flicked the reigns. "Yip, yip!"

Appa pushed off the ground, flying high into the sky.

Houjin sighed in relief. They had gotten away, they –

With a jolt of shock he looked down to the girl who was now resting in his arms again. Her eyes were now fully closed and she lay completely still. . . .

"Shui!" he called, moving so that Sakari's head now rested in his lap. Meifeng hopped into the saddle with them, knowing Appa would get them to wherever they needed to go.

Shui must have realized what Houjin had at the same time because he had already stood up in the saddle, using the clouds above them to draw moisture around his hands. He kneeled beside them, placing the water at her wrist and her neck.

It glowed brightly, swirling around the awful looking burns.

Houjin placed his hands on either side of Sakari's head, Meifeng kneeling beside him and moving Sakari's hair out of her face. "Please, please, please," she muttered.

The water stopped glowing and fell, but the burns stayed. Shui looked devastated. "I thought – I thought for sure –"

Houjin leaned forward, placing his forehead against Sakari's.

This was all his fault.

"Houjin."

It was soft, barely more than a whisper but he heard it, lifting his head. Sakari moaned slightly again, not his name but it was a sign. He looked up at Meifeng who gave a gasp of relief and threw her arms around her little brother's neck, who was shaking furiously.

Houjin let his eyes close, exhaustion and relief making him dizzy.

They had survived and they would be okay. . . .

For now.

* * *

**A/N: So there you are! I hope you guys like this because I haven't been getting a lot of response. I'm going to keep writing regardless but it would be nice to hear what you guys think! Thanks though!**


	16. Run Away

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

"_Houjin."_

_Houjin opened his eyes._

_It was dark and foggy and he could hear the horrible, grating laughter that was his Aunt's demented happiness._

_What was going on?_

_Where was he?_

_Where was –?_

"_Sakari!" he called, his voice echoing in the darkness._

_A hand touched his shoulder and he spun._

_There she stood, though she looked different. She still couldn't have been more than the sixteen yet she looked – different. Her curly brown hair was pulled back on top of her hair in an intricate bun, the fronts styled in the traditional hairstyle of the Water Tribe, beads holding the braids in place at her forehead. Her blue eyes shone happily and she smiled at him, holding out her hand._

_Houjin's eyes drifted to her neck. There was a horrible scar there. It reminded him of his fathers, large and demanding to be noticed but it didn't change Sakari's beauty one bit. She had fought hard when she got that scar._

"_We can make it," she whispered, her hand still out. "Take care of me Houjin. Please."_

_Houjin didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to be responsible for her. It was obvious he couldn't take care of her._

_The smile slid off her face as he took a step back. "Houjin?"_

_He shook his head and stepped back again._

_Sakari's hand dropped to her side . . . and she screamed as fire engulfed her body._

Houjin sat up with a gasp.

Quickly, he located Sakari who wasn't laying to far from him because he was afraid to leave her side. She lay on her back, bandages around the scar on her neck and wrist, breathing softly.

They had landed almost two days after they got away from Ba Sing Se, resting in the woods that surround a Fire Nation Colony. They were supposed to have headed to the Northern Air Temple, on Meifeng's request, after Sakari had learned Earth Bending but due to the circumstances, they had wanted to get as far away from Azula's palace as they could so she recover.

She could have died.

It was the one permanent thought that wouldn't leave Houjin's mind.

He wasn't always going to be by her side. She'd have to fight Azula by herself ultimately. The most he could do was ensure that she was prepared for it.

As soon as she was able, Houjin would begin Sakari's fighting and Firebending regiment.

She wasn't going to die on his account.

* * *

"Sakari."

Sakari knew something was off because she didn't feel any pain.

Was she dead?

There was a soft laugh. "Of course you're not dead. Open your eyes, child."

Sakari did so, not surprised to be standing in front of Yue who smiled softly at her. The smile fell though, as she lifted her hand to Sakari's neck. "You've been hurt in the real world."

"I ended up against Azula," Sakari informed her. "I lost. She's too powerful Yue. I—I won't be able to beat her."

"You have very little faith in yourself, Sakari. Why is that?"

Before Sakari could answer, though, Yue placed her hands on either side of her face. "You are a child of the Water Tribe, a child of the moon. You have more strength than you believe. It's up to you, though to pull it forth. There will be choices you have to make, things you'll have to do but in the end, I know you can do it. You are brave, Sakari, and strong. Don't let anyone tell you different."

Yue smiled. "Open your eyes."

* * *

The sun was bright. She slammed her eyes back shut again.

"Sakari?"

"She moved!"

"Is she awake?"

"Sakari? Sakari can you hear me?"

This time Sakari opened her eyes slowly. Her eyesight was blurry but she could make out Shui's bright blue eyes. She heard the sighs of relief that came from the three bodies surrounding her and she smiled slightly. "Hey you guys."

Shui gently helped Sakari sit up. Her wrist was throbbing and her neck was tender to the gentle brush of the wind. She couldn't fully turn her head but she didn't want to try either. Noticing her struggle, Meifeng and Houjin moved around front so that she could see her easier.

"How are you feeling?" Meifeng asked, reaching forward to move a lock of hair away from Sakari's face.

"Fine, I guess," Sakari responded. "How long was I out?"

"A little over a week," Shui told her. "You had us worried. You kept mumbling in your sleep. We didn't know what was going on."

"Shui was brilliant," Meifeng said with a brilliant smile. "He healed you."

"I couldn't get rid of the burns."

"But I think you did something! Take a compliment sometimes, why don't you?"

Sakari turned her body slightly to look at Houjin while the siblings squabbled. He had been watching her but when her eyes met his, he looked down. Quickly, he got to his feet and moved away from them, off into the trees that surrounded their little campsite.

"He's feeling guilty." Sakari looked back to Shui and Meifeng who were looking in the direction where Houjin disappeared. Shui shook his head. "He feels it's his fault you got hurt."

Sakari wanted badly to shake her head but she stopped. "But it's not. We didn't know we'd get caught."

"Of course we didn't," Meifeng agreed. "If we really wanted to lay blame, we could blame Azula for this horrible world. But Houjin . . . Houjin's just that kind of guy. He's a protector. He took on a lot with it just being his mom and him, after Iroh died. He even looked out for me and my mom and Shui was born. It's just the way he is."

"Maybe I should go talk to him."

"Hmm, better not," Shui told her. "You still need rest and Houjin's just in one of his moods. We'll just leave him alone for a little."

Meifeng and Shui moved on to cook something for them all to eat, leaving Sakari to stare off in the direction that Houjin had gone in.

She so wished that she could figure him out.

"Where's Toph?" Sakari asked.

The siblings exchanged glances. "She stayed behind to help us escape," Meifeng replied.

"We haven't heard from her," Shui finished.

* * *

It was a week before Sakari felt well enough to start training with Houjin. She removed her bandages and took a deep breath knowing that this was necessary.

Learning Firebending was going to be hard. After all, it was her total opposite and Houjin . . . Houjin was not going to be a patient teacher. Maybe she could approach him in the same way she had approached Toph. Just calm steady deep breaths and keeping a patient demeanor herself.

She sat on the ground now, Houjin pacing back and forth in front of her with his hands behind his back. Every so often, she catch him glace quickly at her neck, where her scars were the worst, and look away. She wished she could tell him not to blame himself but she knew it wouldn't do any good.

"_Firebending isn't about anger,_" Meifeng sat and told her one time last week. She didn't think Houjin would take the time to explain the elements of Firebending. "_It's about harmony and life. Energy. Extreme power. It comes from your internal body heat, unlike Waterbending, and that'll be what makes learning it hard for you. You'll have to get rid of being used to outside elements. This all comes from within. Remember that_."

Sakari was glad she knew this now. All she had known about Firebending was that it was stronger in the day. Now she knew she didn't have to be angry. . . .

Though it seemed to work for Houjin. . . .

"Stand up," he told her suddenly and Sakari sprung to her feet.

As soon as she was up, Houjin jabbed at her, sending a quick burst of fire that she jumped aside to avoid.

_Azula._

_Burning._

_Pain._

"What on earth are you doing?" she yelled.

"Training you," Houjin replied easily. He swung his arm, sending out a disc after disc of fire. Sakari stomped down, the fire blasted against the earth wall she had brought up.

"This isn't training!" Sakari shouted, diving out of the way as he sent another arc of fire her way. "You're crazy!"

"Get angry!" Houjin attacked again. Sakari pulled the water from the tree pushing it at him and briefly knocking him back.

"Stop!" Sakari jumped out of the way again as Houjin surged to his feet, powering towards her.

"Fight me!" Houjin replied. "Get angry, use fire!"

Sakari blocked him as he kicked at her. "I'm not going to learn like this!"

"You have to! Azula's not going to take it easy on you! You've seen what she was capable of!"

"This isn't working! I can't just use fire like that!"

"You have to try!" Houjin pushed Sakari back and she landed on the ground, hard.

"Houjin," she started as she scrambled to her feet, "this isn't working. Stop it!"

"How do you ever expect to learn anything if you don't try?" Houjin shouted at her. "How do you expect to become at least a proficient Avatar if you don't learn?"

He attacked again and Sakari moved out of the way, dodging him.

Houjin practically growled. "Quit being weak!"

He threw a practically vicious fire bolt in her direction. Sakari held up her hands, blocking it but it was still there, bearing down on her. It was hot, intense, but she was controlling, if barely. With a burst of energy, she pushed it away and it exploded, sending her and Houjin flying back.

The smoke cleared.

Houjin and Sakari were coughing, gasping for air.

Sakari pushed herself to her knees, watching as Houjin sat up, groaning as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh no," Sakari murmured, getting to her feet and moving towards him. "Are you okay? I'm sor –"

"_You're angry so show it!_" Toph had yelled at her before._ "Stop acting like you have to smile all the time, Princess! It's time you got mad! Get mad! Scream, shout! Stop apologizing and do something!"_

Sakari was tired.

She was always trying to please other people but now. . . .

"No." She took a stepped back. "I'm not sorry. You deserve it, you do. I am not weak. I am a great Kyoshi Warrior, a powerful Waterbender, and I'm going to be a Magnificent Avatar . . . whether you decide you want to help me properly or not."

Taking another step back, she turned, moving off in the direction of their campsite but then she turned, heading to creek where she and Shui practiced their Waterbending.

She sat down beside the water, Bending it so that it circled around her hands as she took deep calming breaths. She hated being angry. Her heart pounded heavily against her ribcage and her face was hot. She splashed the water onto her face before Bending the water again. Watching it circle around her hand was meditative and she felt herself winding down.

Footsteps sounded behind her but she didn't turn as Houjin approached her. He kneeled beside her, quiet for a moment.

"You and I are very different," he mumbled, staring down into the water. "Not even just because we control two separate elements but. . . . You are headstrong, positive. I – I'm a known pessimist and –"

Houjin sighed. "When I was old enough my Uncle Iroh told me that I would be the one to teach the Avatar Firebending. At first, I was excited. Everyone would remember me as Master Houjin, the Firebending Master. . . . But as I grew older and I saw the death and destruction that ruled our world, I realized the implications of being the only Firebender left who was willing to work with the Avatar. If I failed, the world would be doomed. I contemplated running away. . . .

"But you," he continued, turning to face Sakari. "You found out you were the Avatar and for a minute, I thought you'd run away. I would have understood if you did actually. . . . I followed you that night, after you found out and I saw you talking to Yue and you said you'd stay for your family.

"I push you so hard because you are an extension of your Masters. How they taught you affects how you use the elements and how you fight . . . how you survive. . . . You could have died last week and – and that thought scares me because –"

"I know, I know," Sakari interrupted with a sigh. "I am the last hope for freedom and salvation in the world. If I were to die, especially in the Avatar State, it would be the end of the world as we know it."

She felt a hand on her cheek and Houjin turned her face so that they were looking at each other. Surprisingly, there was a slight smile on his face . . . a real smile, something she hadn't ever seen before, something she didn't even think existed. "Actually, that wasn't what I was going to say at all."

His smile fell and his hand drifted to her neck where she was burned. Houjin eyed it for a moment before his golden eyes met her blue. . . .

And he kissed her.

Sakari couldn't have been more shocked if he had burned her himself. The water she had been Bending around her hand sloshed to the ground as her eyes fell close.

Wait.

She was kissing Houjin.

Sakari pulled away quickly. "I, er – I forgot I had to train with Shui."

For the first time in her entire life, Sakari ran away from something.

And she didn't even know what she was running from.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked this. Thanks for everything! Look for my new one: Destiny.**


	17. Hattori Hanzo

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Hey! Shout outs to all who have added this story to their favorites or alerts: hinata-kitty98, LovesToReadOnline, and (of course) Another Dead Hero. You guys inspired me to continue! On with the show!**

**

* * *

**

Sakari swept aside a branch, stopping for a second to catch her breath.

Houjin kissed her.

_Houjin_ kissed her.

Houjin _kissed_ her.

Houjin kissed _her._

_Houjin kissed her._

. . . . No. Either way she said it, it didn't make any sense.

Why would he kiss her? It didn't make sense! He usually didn't even talk to her and then all the sudden, out of the blue, he kisses her?

What should she do?

"Lost, Avatar?" Sakari froze looking up into the trees. Standing on a large branch above her was a man in a black and red, a hood pulled up over his head, blocking his features in the afternoon sun. He lowered it though, revealing a cocky smirk on a young face . . . and glowing red eyes. "Well that's not good."

Sakari took a step back before she turned and ran. He must have been a Fire Nation Spy. He was here and he would take her back to Azula. . . .

She skidded to a stop, falling down as Red-eyes landed in front of her. He now held in his hands, two large katanas. "Where in the world are you going? Prove to me that you're the all-mighty Avatar. Fight me."

Sakari scuttled to her feet, running in the opposite direction. She could hear Red-eyes behind her as she ran, sliding under low branches and hopping over fallen tree trunks. She screamed as his Katana thunked into the ground where her feet had been a second before.

"Fight me, Avatar!" he called after her as she skidded into another clearing. "Prove to me that you're worth the time!"

She stopped.

Turning, she stepped back slightly as the boy stepped into the clearing with her. "I'll fight you," she said, stepping back into a fighting stance.

The boy smirked. "About time. Chasing you was not fun."

"No weapons," Sakari told him as he moved to raise his Katana's.

He shrugged, bringing the swords together and setting them on the ground. "Fair enough."

They stared each other down for a second before he attacked, kicking out at her. Sakari moved to the side, knocking aside his leg but he spun back around, kicking her to the ground. She rolled to her back, kicking towards his stomach but he grabbed her foot. She twisted, kicking back with her free foot and knocking herself free.

Sakari quickly hopped to her feet, blocking him as he attacked again, punching and moving swiftly. She felt as if she were still weak. It shouldn't have been so hard to keep up with this guy!

She spun around him as he aimed for her again but he anticipated the move, spinning and giving her a swift kick to her back. She landed hard, catching herself.

"Looks like you need more work than I thought," Red-eyes said, chuckling.

Angrily, Sakari got back to her feet. "Enough of this."

Raising her arms, she drew the water from the trees around her, bark exploding and falling to the ground. Red-eyes took a step away from her but he didn't look scared; he actually looked approving. The water gathered beneath her and she surfed by him, smacking him hard and spinning him off balance. She got behind him and pushed the water forward, into him. The water grabbed and pushed him against the tree behind him. Sakari blew out a chill breath, clenching her fist and the water turned to ice.

Red-eyes struggled slightly, but he stopped, grinning cheekily at her. "Well aren't you full of surprises! But – you have to expect that your opponent is as well, sweetheart."

He looked down and Sakari watched as the water around him seemed to glow bright red.

He was a Firebender.

The ice melted and he shot a fireball at her. Sakari stomped down, trying to bring up a barrier to protect herself but the fire broke it, sending her flying back into the tree behind her.

She crumpled to the ground, rolling onto her back with a moan. When she opened her eyes, the boy stood over her. He grinned down at her. "Very good. Got all I needed."

"Sakari!" Sakari turned her head at the sound of her name, seeing Houjin come running in their direction. He stopped, his eyes locking on the other boy's. "You!"

"Me," the boy said giddily.

Seeing the distraction, Sakari slammed her fist into the ground. A nice size rock lifted from the dirt and she palmed it into the guy's stomach, sending him flying backwards. Houjin ran forward, lifting Sakari off the ground as she coughed. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded but was interrupted before she could actually say something by the loud laughter of the boy she had just knocked back. She and Houjin turned to stare at Red-eyes as he moved the rock, sitting up and laughing. "Very good, Avatar! Sakari, was it? That was good! And the way you Waterbend? I didn't even know that was possible! I haven't had a fight like that an ages! Ha!"

"Who are you?" Houjin demanded, pushing Sakari behind him.

Red-eyes hopped to his feet giving them a mock bow. "Hattori Hanzo at your service and I am the guy who's going to teach the Avatar Firebending."

Sakari saw Houjin's fist clench. "She already has a Firebending teacher, thanks. We don't need your help."

"Really," Hattori responded, "because from what I saw earlier, Azula almost destroyed her. It looks like you could use all the help you can get."

Houjin growled, sending a blazing disk at Hattori who knocked it out of the way, watching it char a tree behind him with mild shock. "Are we done attacking me?"

"We don't need your help!" Houjin yelled. "Go back to wherever you've come from!"

Houjin grabbed Sakari's hand, pulling her away from the boy. He grinned at her, waving slightly. "Be seeing you, Avatar Sakari."

Sakari stared at him for a second longer before turning forward once more, letting Houjin pull her back to their campsite.

* * *

Houjin wasn't speaking to her.

Well, not directly anyway.

Of course, she knew why but she couldn't tell Meifeng or Shui. She wasn't sure if he were more angry than embarrassed. She had, after all, just left him sitting there after he had kissed her. She thought that maybe she had hurt his pride.

She wanted to say something to him. . . . But she didn't know what. What did you say to a boy who you. . . .

Well that was the problem wasn't it?

She was scared. Her feelings for Houjin were so unsure and that kiss had made her all sorts of . . . well, happy but . . . confused. After all, most of the time he acted as if he couldn't stand her. Why just kiss her?

Sakari had left her friends. Looking around, she thought this was a good enough a spot as any. She sat down, crossing her legs and leaning back slightly. She placed her hands on her knees, palms up. She breathed in and out, slowly, meditating.

She had never purposely tried to get into the Spirit World. She wondered if she'd be able to. It wasn't a normal thing to do, getting into the Spirit World, it –

Concentrate, Sakari!

She took another breath, meditating once more. . . .

"Hello Sakari." Sakari opened her eyes. The lighting was dim and sitting across from her, bright eyed and smiling, was Avatar Aang. He gaze was sympathetic as his eyes drifted to her neck and wrist before raising to meet hers again. "How are you doing?"

"Not so well. I – I can't learn Firebending. The thought terrifys me and then, besides all that, it's hard. I just can't seem to make it work."

Aang smiled. "You sound just like me. Earthbending was where I had my qualm but Firebending scared me just the same because I knew it was dangerous, knew how much it hurt people. When it comes to learning the element you just have to go at it with an open mind. Focus and know that you have the power to control it."

Sakari nodded, looking at the ground. "There's something else."

"Go on. You can ask me anything."

"How did you know that you loved Aunt Katara?"

"Oh. _Oh_." Aang tilted his head, smiling serenely. "Well . . . you are sixteen. I suppose it would have happen eventually but it's complicated isn't it? Torn between what you know you want and what you know you need to do. I knew I loved Katara the moment I met her but I knew I had a whole world I needed to protect. That didn't stop me from trying to hang on. If it is meant to be, it will happen. You have to just be patient. Don't let what your feeling scare you."

Aang's smile suddenly dropped. "Meifeng's not – seeing anyone is she?"

Sakari couldn't help but smile. "No."

Aang sighed, grinning again. "Good. You go on, Sakari. Tell everyone I said hi."

Sakari blinked, starting at the sight of Hattori Hanzo sitting in front of her, crossed-legged as well with his hands cradling his head. His red-eyes were wide as they examined her. "What's it like?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakari asked wearily.

"The spirit world, of course," Hattori clarified. "What's it like actually being where they are? Surreal, trippy, weird, all of the above?"

"Eh – disorienting." Sakari got to her feet and Hattori followed suit, grinning at her.

"That's pretty cool that you can do that, get away and call them to you when you need them." He glared at a nearby rock as if someone were sitting there. "I wish I could do that!"

"What do you want with me?" Sakari asked, beginning to question this boy's sanity.

He grinned at her again. "I've already told you! I'm here to teach you Firebending. I've been trying to catch up with you guys since Chin Village! Who would have thought four teenagers and a large bison would be so hard to find?"

"Houjin is already my Firebending teacher. He told you that."

Hattori's eyes widened in approval. "Houjin as in the Fire Lord's son? Okay, I'll give you that. But I could at least help out a little. He has skill and strength, I'll admit but his technique is a little skewed. Lack of practice probably."

Sakari frowned. "We're doing just fine, thanks."

She went to turn away from him but he grabbed her hand. "Hey, hey, wait. I'm sorry okay. I've been on my own for quite some time. People skills are still coming back to me, you know?" he added with a crooked smile and a shrug. "The only 'people' that I've been able to talk to are pretty lousy. And annoying!" he added in the direction of the rock.

Curiosity got the better of her as Sakari glanced in the same direction he had. "Who are you talking about?"

"The spirits of course." He leaned forward and whispered, "I can see them too."

"Sakari!" The two of them looked up as Meifeng burst through the trees. She looked angry, probably from having to stomp around. Her glider had been taken by the Guards at Ba Sing Se. She stopped at the sight of Hattori and before Sakari could say anything, Meifeng whipped her behind her, holding out a bladeless hilt. "You're that guy! What are you doing here?"

Hattori was gazing at Meifeng, semi-dazed but he snapped out of it, grinning and bowing to her as well. "Well, well, well, I must say it is a pleasure to meet the last Airbender, and a beautiful Airbender at that. Hattori Hanzo at your service."

A slight blush appeared on Meifeng's cheeks but it disappeared quickly as she lowered the hilt, stepping forward to jab Hattori in his chest. "I've heard enough about you already. Where do you get off attacking Sakari like that? She's been through a lot and we don't need some crazy guy trying to get a rise out of her for kicks."

Hattori held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I promise to be on my best behavior if you allow me to stay. I only have Sakari's best interest at heart, I swear by Avatar Roku's name."

Meifeng regarded him shrewdly. "I'll have to talk with the others. If they agree to let you stay with us, than you can. Otherwise, I don't want to see you around Sakari without one of us present. We don't know if we can trust you yet."

"Of course, makes perfect sense, all cool with me." Meifeng turned, heading back to their campsite but Sakari watched Hattori glanced to the side. "By the way, your father says hello."

Meifeng stiffened before she turned around, angrily. Sakari threw herself flat to the ground as a strong, hurricane worthy gust of air blew through the area, blasting Hattori back against a tree. "Come on, Sakari!" Meifeng yelled, stomping off again.

Sakari hopped to her feet as Hattori groaned. "Hope I didn't ruin my vote. Gah . . . I think she broke something. . . . Shut up, it's not that funny!" he yelled at the rock.

She stared at him for a second, trying to figure him out before she quickly followed after Meifeng.

What was it about him?

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**A/N: Hope everyone likes Hattori :D He'll be a regular from now on! Thanks for everything you guys! See you next time!**


	18. Decisions

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

**A/N: Hey All! Shout outs to new readers who have added this story to their favorites or alerts: AyumiiUzimaki! You are great hun bun!**

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Sakari peeked out one eye at Houjin who was sitting across from her, legs crossed, hands on his knees, and eyes closed. A small fire place between them rose and fell along with his breathing.

"You're not concentrating," he murmured.

Sakari snapped her eye shut. "Sorry."

Listening closely, she started to breath with him, feeling the heat flowing through her and connecting with his and the fire.

No this wasn't intimate at all.

For spirits' sake she wanted to say something, anything to Houjin that didn't involve Firebending. She wanted to tell him that she did like him . . . a lot, but that she was scared to get to close to him at the moment because she knew all her focus would be on him and she'd never learn anything for need to protect him – not that he needed protecting and not that this wasn't already the case –

Oh bother.

A knock against her skull. "Who else is in your head with you?"

Sakari opened her eyes, rubbing her head as she looked up at Houjin was leaning back in his seat. "No one. I mean, that is to say, I – I'm just having trouble concentrating, lately."

Houjin looked down before meeting her eyes again. "Look, Sakari, about the other day –"

"Houjin, I'm sorry," Sakari blurted out quickly. She thought he might tell her to forget about it. She thought he might tell her he regretted it and she certainly didn't want that. She didn't regret that kiss. "I should have stayed. I got scared and I –"

"Hello, Lovebirds!" Houjin, who had been staring intently at Sakari, practically growled at the interruption as Hattori Hanzo entered the area where they had been meditating. "I've been looking all over for you two! Meifeng didn't want to tell me where you were."

"I wonder why," Houjin muttered and Sakari could almost see the vein throbbing in his forehead.

For the last couple of days since they had met him, Hattori had a habit of appearing when they least expected. True to his promises, however, he only came around when Sakari was with the rest, never bothering her when he saw she was alone.

Meifeng still didn't know how to feel about him. It was obvious that the Firebender had developed something of a liking for her but she ignored him and was quick with a scathing remark every time he showed up. Shui was mostly fascinated by the Katanas he used and liked to admire the craftsmanship. It was quite clear that Houjin didn't like him at all. He watched him like a hawk whenever he was around and it never failed to skip Sakari's notice that he was always quick to jump next to her when Hattori was around.

Sakari didn't really mind him. She was very curious about his story, about how he said could see spirits as well, about his red eyes. . . . Of course, with the others so skeptic of him, it would be hard to get a word in edgewise.

As to prove the point, Houjin stood, reaching around to grab Sakari's hand and pulling her to her feet. "Come on."

"Now don't leave on my account!" Hattori said. "Show me what you've been working on."

"Sakari is still in the very beginning stages of learning Firebending," Houjin muttered. "She's still working on her control and until then there will be nothing to show."

"So you're lollygagging." Hattori flipped his shaggy hair out of his face and rolled his eyes. "No better way to beat Azula than by meditating."

"If she has no control it won't matter. Basics are important to –"

"Basics, shmasics! What we need to do is get her up and blasting trees in half, like she does with her Waterbending!"

"And she'll destroy herself in the process! It took her ages to perfect that technique! What makes you think she'll be able to just automatically grasp Firebending?"

"Because, duh, she's the Avatar! Who else better? I'm sure if you just let her try, she'd get it in a snap! If I were her teacher –"

"Well you're not! I am her Firebending teacher and we'll do things my way!"

"Yeah? Well, your way sucks!"

"Look here, you Freak, I've just had about enough of you barging in on our practices and –"

"I'm hungry!" Sakari shouted suddenly, drawing their attention away from their argument. She was sick and tired of the two of them talking about her as if she weren't there. Hattori and Houjin turned to her confused but distracted. Sakari gave them both a wide grin. "Let's go get something to eat."

She grabbed Houjin's hand and pulled him in the direction of their camp. If Hattori was following, she couldn't find herself to care. She actually was really hungry and it was a plus that she got them to stop fighting.

Meifeng was cooking something in the bowl, Shui helping to stir using his Bending considering they didn't have a spoon. "How was practice?" Meifeng asked, smiling softly.

Houjin mumbled sitting down and closing his eyes. Sakari sat near him, though not too close and smiled back. "It was – just a minute. . . . You might as well join us! I know you're watching."

Meifeng and Shui were both staring at her, confused until Shui smiled slightly and Meifeng frowned. Sakari turned to see Hattori had come hesistantly out of his hiding place, his eyes on Meifeng. He always seemed less . . . active, when around the Airbender. He grinned then, running his hand through his hair. "Is it alright if I join you, daughter and son of Avatar Aang?"

Houjin didn't speak but the siblings exchanged glances. Shui shrugged, going back to stirring while Meifeng huffed. "Fine. And you don't have to refer to us that way. We already know who we are."

Hattori's grin widened and he plopped on the ground between Sakari and Shui. Sakari passed him a bowl. "What are we having?" he asked.

"Left over Kimono Chicken soup," Meifeng replied briskly.

"Any meat in it?" Hattori asked but shut his mouth when Meifeng sent him a sharp glare. Houjin chuckled. "Never mind."

"It smells great Meifeng," Shui said, obviously trying to relieve some of the awkward tension but it didn't work. The area fell silent once more. Shui Bent soup into everyone's bowl and they ate quietly, though Hattori was obviously enjoying the chicken leg he had gotten.

"So what is your story?" Shui asked suddenly, looking at Hattori.

"Shui!" Meifeng scolded.

"What? We were all thinking it! Can you honestly tell me that no one was going to say anything?"

Hattori sighed, giving them all a crooked smile that dropped suddenly. "It's not like it's a horrible secret. It's just not a very favorable time, you know? But I guess if I'm ever going to get you guys to trust me you'll have to know. . . .

"For generations, my family were famous swordsmen, the Hanzo bloodline. We crafted, we yielded, we perfected. We were among the best. When Azula came into power, my parents fought against her . . . and lost. I was only one. My grandfather took me and ran, as per my parent's last request, I suppose. We lived hidden and peaceful in a small colony.

"When I was fourteen, Azula and her followers found us. They commanded that we submit to her, start making swords again and fight under her name. Of course, my grandfather denied them. He and Azula fought while I tried to hold off the few followers she had with her but . . . she's a lot stronger now than she ever was – insanity will do that to you, I suppose – and he fell. They set my house on fire, trapping me inside. I remember getting hit on the head by a falling beam. . . . I remember dying. . . .

"I woke up three minutes later. Don't ask me how, I'm not sure. I just know, when I woke up, I saw my grandfather. He smiled at me and told me to get up and get out. So coughing and woozy I hurried out of the house. It wasn't until I got far enough away that I realized my eyes were like this and I could see other spirits, just like my grandfather. Some of them talk, some of them don't but I can see them."

Hattori turned to Meifeng. "I really had seen your dad the other day. I wasn't, you know, trying to be a jerk or anything."

Meifeng nodded, crossing her arms and looking away from him. Hattori watched her for a second before looking to Sakari. "So for the last three years, I've been training, building myself up so that I could take my revenge on Azula . . . by helping you. . . . That is, if you'll let me."

Sakari thought she felt tears in her eyes. She looked to Shui who was staring down at his hands and Houjin, who wasn't looking anywhere particular. They were all contemplating in their own way, all of them sharing the same common factor.

Azula ruined their families.

Hattori though, Hattori had no one else left in this world. If they sent him away, where would he go?

"I think he should stay."

Surprisingly it was Meifeng who had spoken up. Hattori looked to her with a grin on his face.

"Yea," Shui agreed. "I mean, especially if you've been following us since Chin Village. That's a long way to go without a bison."

They all looked to Houjin, who shrugged. That was about the best answer they were going to get from him. Sakari was sure there would always be issues between the two Firebenders but they'd work it out because they had a goal to obtain: training her to beat their enemy.

"Let's all get some sleep," Meifeng declared. "I'm sure we're all tired."

Houjin closed his fist, putting out the fire and laying back.

Sakari looked over at Hattori whose red eyes were gleaming, whether from happiness or sadness she couldn't tell but she fell asleep anyway, wondering what the new member of their team would bring.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it's a little shorter than normal :D But I hope you like it! Thanks all!**


	19. Work It Out

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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These last couple of days had not gone well.

It started when Houjin moved to wake Hattori up from the deep sleep he had fallen into that morning after they had allowed him to stay. . . . And Hattori punched him before falling back asleep. When Meifeng went to wake him up though, he just mumbled and sat up, ready to work.

He was wild and uninhibited and they way he sparred with Sakari showed it. Shui was always healing burns, on the both of them, actually, must to Houjin's distaste.

Practice with Houjin was much more calm.

Sakari and Houjin circled each other now, eyes never leaving the others as Sakari mirrored Houjin's moves, palms up, precise, strong movements that, eventually, would include fire. For now, though, this was just practice. It was going well too, nice and calm. Sakari had yet to mess up and Houjin had yet to get angry.

Until Hattori yawned loudly enough to shake the trees.

Houjin yelled angrily, concentration broken and fire scorching the ground. "What is wrong with you?" he screamed, glaring daggers at the other boy.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Okay, maybe something," Hattori replied, jumping down from his perch in a nearby tree. "It's just that this, this little dance . . . it's _boring_."

"_Dance_? These are effective practices in order to hone –"

"See? That right there? You even _sound_ boring. I'm getting tired just listening to you."

Sakari rolled her eyes, moving to sit on the ground.

This was their third argument today.

For the last four and a half days with Hattori, it had been like this. He and Houjin just couldn't seem to agree on one single thing. It was strange. They were so alike in so many ways and came from almost the same sort of background but they fought like crazy.

Sakari held out her palm, a small flicker of fire in her hand. Of course, neither of the boys noticed that she had been able to do this for the last couple of days. They were two busy trying not to shoot fire at each other.

The Avatar turned at the sound of footsteps, Meifeng coming up besides her. She watched the two Firebenders for a second before looking down at Sakari. "Again?"

Sakari nodded. "Again. But I have gotten better. See?" she asked, holding up her hand.

Meifeng smiled before looking back to the two arguing boys again, her eyes mainly on Hattori, something Sakari spotted easily. Despite the fact that she was quick to Airbend the younger boy out of her face, she seemed to like him. Whenever he made a silly comment or joke, Meifeng had a small smile on her face.

"He reminds me of Uncle Sokka," she had told Sakari the other day, with a shrug.

Now, however, she looked frustrated. "He's just like her."

"Who?" Sakari asked, closing and opening her palm with the flame flickering on and off.

"Toph. And Houjin? He reminds me of mom. Mom used to tell me how she and Toph fought constantly on how things were done, around their camp and with Aang when they were training him. These two are the same. But we have more important things to do then watch the two of them argue."

Taking a deep, almost impossible breath, Meifeng cupped her hands over her mouth and blew. The resulting wind tunnel was enough to send both boys flying backwards, Houjin ending up in a bush and Hattori landing upside down against a tree trunk.

She took Sakari's wrist, pulling her to her feet and walking towards the boys.

"Look," she started, crossing her arms over her chest, "I understand you two have a lot of things you need to work out with each other but I don't care. You're main objective here is to teach Sakari Firebending. I don't care who does it or how you do it but someone needs to do it and now. She still needs to learn Airbending you know and I am getting tired of having to wait for you losers to finish. So once you figure this out, you can come get her. Until then, she's going to be resting back at camp. Come on, Sakari."

Grabbing the Waterbender's hand, Meifeng led her back. "I honestly cannot stand boys."

Sakari smiled. "What about Shui?"

"He's my little brother so he's always on top of my list."

"So how do you deal with them?"

"Well you just –" Meifeng stopped, turning to Sakari with a skeptic look on her face. "What is this about?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Sakari said quickly, trying to appear innocent but it was clear Meifeng wasn't buying it. She tugged on her hair. "Just, you know – you're eighteen and I'm sixteen. . . . I just thought you may have a better clue on how to 'deal' with boys than I do."

Meifeng smiled softly. "Trust me, Sakari, becoming eighteen does nothing but make you older. What I will tell you is that you just have to act normal."

"You don't act normal around, Hattori," Sakari argued.

"Well –" For the first time since they had become friends, Meifeng seemed flustered. She sighed. "Look, I've only been around maybe five guys the same age as me, most of them Shui's age. Hattori – Hattori's different, even if is an annoying seventeen-year-old. I don't know how he just is. . . . You're not – you're not talking about him are you?"

"No!" Sakari exclaimed, surprised by the relief that flooded the older girl's face. "No, no, no! Hattori is definitely not who I'm talking about."

"Oh. Oh, okay. Well, let me warn you about Shui then. He tends to –"

"I'm not talking about Shui either."

"Oh. _Oh_!" Meifeng's grey eyes were wide as a smile began to form on her face. "_Really_? Hmm . . . I suppose I should have seen it coming."

"What?" Sakari asked as Meifeng started to walk again. "What do you mean?"

"I've known Houjin for years, Sakari. I know most of his likes, his dislikes, and his many different moods. Since we met you he's – I don't know, he's a lot less high-strung."

"You call this Houjin, 'less high-strung'?"

"If you had seen him before, you would too. He controls his temper better around you. He, Shui, and I used to fight constantly. You've changed him for the better, I think."

Sakari looked back in the direction of where she had been training with the Firebenders and smiled.

He was changing her too.

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Sakari mirrored Houjin's meditative motions, arms circling and flowing, deep breathing. Step together, away, arms out. . . . It was almost like they were dancing. They stopped, facing each other and bowing. "I'm finished," Houjin called, glancing at Hattori who had been waiting patiently.

"About time!" Hattori said grinning. He jumped forward, shooting a blast of fire in Sakari's direction as Houjin moved easily out of the way. Sakari jumped off the ground, landing and blocking the rapid succession of firey jabs Hattori sent at her. She caught one of his fire balls, swing her arm in an arc to send it back. It wasn't particularly hot or vicious, but it was still a flame.

Holding up his hands, daggers of licking flames appeared on his fingers. Smiling wickedly, he flung both his hands in her direction. Sakari spun her arms as fast as she could, putting up a weak, but effective shield of fire that caught his daggers. Thrusting his arms to both sides, Hattori created a whip of fire. Sakari grabbed the whip as it flashed towards her, running forward with it and placing her foot into his chest, sending him backwards.

Hattori coughed, sitting up and rubbing his face. "Ugh . . . Finished. I think she stopped my heart for a second."

Houjin hopped in, touching the ground. Fire licked across the forest floor, spreading until it created a wall around her. Sakari swung around, putting out the flame and standing up in time to see Houjin jetting towards her. As he neared, she grabbed his shoulders and flipping over him, spinning in the air to kick him in the back. Her hands hit the ground, springing herself to her feet.

Houjin rolled, pushing himself to his feet. He took a deep breath and blew fire at her. She ducked under it, shooting a lash of fire at Houjin's feet, which he tried to jump to avoid but ended up on the ground. "Finished," he called, smoke leaving his mouth as he brushed his hands on his pants.

Hattori held his arms in front of him, sending disks of flames at her, all of which she blocked. The last one, she grabbed, spinning with its momentum to send back at Hattori. He threw up his arms to block it, getting sent sliding back. He spun, sending sweeping kick after punch of large arks and sweeps of fire. Sakari ducked and blocked, making her way closer until she was close enough to sweep his feet out from under him. Seeing both her 'opponents' down, Sakari slumped to the ground.

Hattori coughed, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Is that it?" he asked Houjin who was getting to his feet.

Houjin nodded, Hattori getting to his feet as well. "That was good for today."

The two Firebenders shook hands.

"I'm hungry," Hattori replied, placing his hands over his stomach. "Let's go get some grub."

Houjin agreed and they started back towards camp, leaving Sakari on the floor, exhausted. She groaned, falling onto her back.

Them getting along was the worst thing that could ever happen to her. Hopefully, training won't be like this every day.

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**A/N: Hope you guys liked this :D I had fun writing this chapter. I'll be going back to school soon so updates might be slow but I'll do my best. Thanks for reading!**


	20. Disaster

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

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Sakari sat on a tree branch, watching Houjin train below her. Light flames licked the air in front of him. He looked so . . . powerful, she thought as he swept his leg around, the fire lighting the area.

She was getting there, she realized with a smile. With Houjin's extensive knowledge and Hattori's skill, she was closer to being a Firebending Master than she ever thought possible. And boy had they been working hard. She lifted a hand up to her neck, placing her fingers against the rough skin. She was going to defeat Azula next time, she had too. The world was counting on her.

Houjin was counting on her.

A branch creaking above her head caused Sakari to look up.

A smile appeared on her face.

Houjin swung his arms slowly in a large arc over his head, bring his hands to waist level and taking a deep breath. His training done for the day he could now focus on Sakari. Hattori should have been training as well but that . . . boy was too busy trying to gain Meifeng's attention.

Not that she was fighting him too hard.

Thinking about the budding relationship between his oldest friend and the guy he couldn't stand made him think about Sakari . . . and how he wanted to kiss her again.

But she had rejected him – hadn't she?

Okay, of that he wasn't sure. He thought he understood her. He knew she'd do anything for her loved ones, knew that she was slightly naïve but smart. She always looked at the world with such a positive attitude that was so annoying at times . . . he couldn't help but find it endearing.

Where was she anyway?

He looked up to where he remembered he had seen her sitting but she wasn't there anymore. "Sakari?" he asked moving towards the tree.

"I'm up here!"

Houjin looked up higher into the tree. Sakari gazed down at him, a large smile on her face. He shook his head. "What are you doing?"

Sakari quickly came down the tree. Houjin couldn't tell with her so far up but it looked like something was weird about her shoulders.

"What in spirits' name is that?" Houjin cried out, jumping back as Sakari landed at the bottom of the tree.

Sakari grinned as the hideous thing peeked out from under her hair again, resting its paws over her shoulder. She reached back, pulling it into her arms. "It's a Bearded Cat of course! Haven't you seen one before?"

Houjin shook his head. The thing really was ugly, he thought. Its entire body was black, except for the beard, which was a weird shade of brown. Green eyes blinked slowly at Houjin as it tried to process him as well.

"I've decided to name him Oynx," Sakari was saying. "What do you think?"

"Wait, wait, wait . . . you're keeping him?" Houjin asked, disgusted.

"Yes!" Sakari replied as if that was the dumbest question he could have ever asked. "He came to me. I think he's supposed to be mine . . . like Aang and Appa . . . my spirit animal."

Houjin shook his head. "Meifeng will never let you keep that thing. She doesn't really like animals, besides Appa. She'll never go for it."

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"He's adorable!" Houjin scowled as Meifeng lifted up the Bearded Cat up to her face, rubbing her cheek in his fun. "What did you name Sakari?"

"Oynx," Sakari said, quickly sticking her tongue out at Houjin.

"Nice strong name," Hattori replied, scratching behind the cat's ears.

"I like him," Shui responded. "He kind of reminds me of Momo, don't you think Meifeng?"

"Onyx is nothing like Momo," Meifeng said. "I'm sure Oynx won't steal my food, will you Onyx?"

"He's exactly like Momo," Houjin replied angrily. "He's just another mouth to feed. Do we really want that responsibility?"

"I'm sure he's not going to eat us out of house and home, Houjin," Sakari argued, rolling her eyes. "He's tiny, really."

The cat leaped out of Meifeng's arms and quickly rushed to Sakari. She picked him up and he climbed across her shoulders, slipping his paws over one side and his legs so that he was draped around her neck, her hair resting over him. And then it seemed as if the thing smirked in Houjin's direction.

Houjin shook his head at the ugly creature, leaning forward to refill his bowl when he noticed it. Moving closer towards the pot filled with their supper, he saw the ripples across the surface, clearer now, soft but frequent.

"We need to go," he said, getting to his feet.

"We've just sat down," Meifeng responded angrily. "Why in the world –"

"Don't argue with me!" Houjin cried. "Let's –"

"Look out!" Sakari shouted, pointing behind the arguing pair.

Shui sprung to action, bending the soup from the pot and forming a barrier that blocked the angry flame that had been heading towards Meifeng even though she wasn't standing their any longer; Hattori had sprung to action almost as fast as Shui, pinning Meifeng to the ground.

"Go!" Shui yelled, grabbing his water skin and running into the forest in the direction of Appa.

The rest followed suit, grabbing their weapons and moving into the forest, Sakari holding a very disgruntled Onyx in her arms. Anything that wasn't essential they left; that was the life of a refugee, even as powerful as they were.

"How did they find us?" Sakari asked as they ran.

"We stayed here to long," Hattori responded, ever a tracker. "They would have found us eventually."

They reached Appa, who had chose to rest in a wider, more open clearing and who was already prepared for them. He roared a warning, clearly aware of whatever was behind them and that it was closer.

"Go, go, go!" Shui cried, holding out his hand so that he could help Meifeng and Sakari run up Appa's tale. Once in the saddle, Meifeng reached down as Houjin laced his fingers to give Hattori a lift up. The other boy in the saddle, Houjin grabbed Appa's fur, pulling himself up. "Yip, yip!" he yelled.

Appa moved to fly into the air but his feet were suddenly bound by rock. Oynx leapt from Sakari's arms as the girl jumped from the saddle, neatly avoiding a blast of flames to duck under Appa. Houjin cursed as the first Earth and Firebenders appeared in their clearing. Hattori pulled his Katana's from their sheath and with a nod the two Firebenders leapt from the Saddle as well to protect the Avatar.

Sakari chiseled away at the first of Appa's six paws as Appa swept his tail back and forth to keep away other opponents. From underneath their large friend, she could feel the heat of fire, the gust of powerful Airbending, the mist of bended water and the rumble of earth; the four elements melded together in this one place . . . just not in harmony.

Sakari freed the last of Appa's feet, moving from under him and out of the way just in time to avoid a flying dagger of ice. "Let's go!" she cried, knocking back an Earthbender who tried to bind Appa again and climbing up into the saddle. Her friends followed after and someone cried, "Yip, yip!" sending Appa into the air once more. Hattori looked over the edge, his eyes wide at the sight of the ground below them. "Insane!"

Meifeng grabbed Appa's reigns, steering him over the trees. "We have to get to the Northern Air Temple," she told them. "Dad said –"

"Watch out!" Shui yelled.

Meifeng faced forward, gripping the reigns tight as Appa moved out of the way of a large fireball. The rock flew past, giving the five teenagers a chance to glimpse the four ship fleet below them before another fireball flew in their direction, followed by three more in rapid succession.

"Hang on!" Meifeng cried as Appa roared, trying to move forward but was trapped trying to avoid the fireballs. They clung to the sides of the saddle as Appa flew wildly about.

"Yaozu!" Houjin muttered angrily. Sure enough they recognized the first ship, knew that awful man was aboard.

Appa avoided another ball of fire . . . but Houjin turned and saw another heading towards them from behind. Life slowed. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he looked to Meifeng who was trying to calm Appa down though the fear in her eyes was great.

Shui, who was still clinging to the saddle, eyes squeezed shut.

Hattori, who was definitely focused on Meifeng, probably trying to figure out how to save her.

And Sakari . . . Sakari who was looking at him.

He wouldn't let them die.

He wouldn't let _her _die.

Sakari's eyes widened as she noticed the fire ball heading towards them, noticed Houjin standing up. He could maybe extinguish the fire, break through the fireball so that they wouldn't get hurt. He gave her a slight smile before turning and jumping towards the fire ball.

"Houjin!" Sakari screamed trying to reach him, to grab his vest, hold him back. Arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back instead as Houjin met with the fireball and everything exploded in a cloud of smoke and pebbles.

Sakari pulled free from whoever had a hold on her as Houjin, limp and unmoving, fell towards the water below. Despite the protest and the attempt to grab her again, she jumped out of the saddle as well.

The wind pressed against her and she straightened, pressing her arms to her sides, speeding through the air. She met Houjin, crashing into him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, spinning them in the air. Looking down, she bent the water below, bring it up so that it wrapped in a bubble around them, cushioning their crash into the water.

Sakari burst through the surface, pulling Houjin up with her. With another burst of power, she jetted them across the water towards the nearest bit of land she saw.

More fireballs crashed into the water around them as Sakari swerved and dodge. She was reminded briefly of the first time she had used this much power, under the Avatar state.

A wave crashed above her, sending her and Houjin into the tide.

* * *

Meifeng looked down into the water below. "Where are they?" She shrieked.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Shui cried out, just as scared.

"What do we do?"

"Move!" Hattori responded but it was too late.

They all screamed as Appa was hit in the side by a fireball.

The beast roared in obvious pain, falling from the air.

The three teens were lifted from the saddle, gripping on as best as they could as Appa spun through the air.

"Appa!" Shui yelled. "Appa, NO!"

With an effort Appa pulled himself up enough to level them out before the crashed through the trees below on another part of land broken up by the ocean, going in a completely different direction from Houjin and Sakari.

They hit the ground with an earth shattering _BOOM!_ that sent the riders flying from the saddle.

Meifeng lifted herself from her awkward position, stuck in a berry bush. She moaned, shaking dirt from her clothes and hair before she started. "Appa."

She ran forward to where the trees were smashed, broken by their crash. Appa lay on his side, breathing heavily. Meifeng laid her hand on the side of his large face, tears stinging her eyes. Appa was her best friend and had been since she could remember. He took care of her, watched over her.

He couldn't –

Meifeng turned. "Shui! _Shui!_"

"Here I am," the Waterbender said, pulling himself from his own bush, rubbing the back of his head. He stopped short when he saw Appa. "Oh no."

He ran around to where their saddle lay discarded and grabbed his waterskin. On Appa's stomach lay the most vicious of all burns, red and angry . . . and there was blood. Whether it was from their crash or from the fireball, Meifeng couldn't tell but it looked so bad.

"Where's Hattori?" Shui asked, voice unreasonably calm as he bent all the water from the skins, watching it glow against Appa's wound.

"Up here." Meifeng looked up as Hattori began his descent down a tree, a terrified Onyx clinging to the back of his top. She would wonder later how on earth they had gotten up there.

Right now. . . .

Hattori touched ground and he moved forward, Onyx moving so that he lay over Hattori's shoulder. Unconsciously, Meifeng took his hand and he held it tight. He didn't know Appa like she, Shui, and Houjin did, didn't know how much a part of their family he was, like their father.

Shui worked quietly for what seemed like ages before he let the water fall. "It's – it's not working," he said sounding chocked.

"It has too!" Meifeng cried stepping forward. "It has too work, Shui!"

"It's not." Shui got up, moving to Appa's face. It would seem Appa smiled, breathing out softly. He lifted one paw, pressing it against the boy's back, pulling him closer. Shui spread his arms out in Appa's fur, pressing his face against the bison's cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Meifeng rushed forward, wrapping her arms around one of his large paws. Hattori stood in the background, though he quietly moved forward as Appa's paws went limp. . . .

Meifeng sobbed, turning and wrapping her arms around Hattori's neck. He held her tight, letting her cry. Even Onyx placed a paw on her shoulder, strangely solemn. Shui stayed where he was, hands clenching Appa's fur.

"Oh Appa."

* * *

**A/N: OMG THAT TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE! I hope you guys liked this chapter. I almost cried writing it. I've been thinking about this chapter for ages and I think it came together pretty well. Again, I hope you liked it and I'll see you next time!**


	21. Trapped

**A/N: Hey guys! Shoutout to DeathbySugarCube and Forever2Never! You guys are great!**

* * *

Houjin moaned, slowly opening his eyes.

Why was the sky moving?

"Houjin?" Sakari appeared in his line of vision, bright blue eyes wide with relief and happiness. Before Houjin could stop himself, he sat up, wrapping his arms around Sakari in his own relief. Not only was she still alive but he was too. They had made it.

Houjin let go of her realizing he wasn't in any pain, meaning that she had healed him, and he had been laying on a raised piece of earth, which she was probably using to move him. . . .

And it was just him and her. . . .

Houjin groaned when he realized what had happened. "You didn't."

"You were going to die," Sakari argued.

"So you risked your own life trying to save me. Real smart Sakari." He hadn't meant it the way it came out. He really was very grateful for her, grateful that they were both still alive.

Sakari's cheeks flushed. She stomped her foot and the raised ground beneath Houjin slammed back into the earth, leaving him sprawled on the floor. He sat up, rubbing his back. "Sakari, I –"

"No!" Sakari yelled spinning around to face him. Houjin remembered another time like this, when she had been mad at him but nothing like this. This was furious. "I am sick and tired of you Houjin! All I've done was try to get you to like me and all you've ever done is put me down! You say you care about me, you kiss me and yet you treat me like dirt! Not only do I free fall through the air to catch you before you crush yourself against the water, but we almost drown, almost get caught by soldiers sweeping the shore and I have no clue where the rest of them are or them us! I can't believe how – how thickheaded you are, you insignificant jerk! What did you expect me to do, huh? The next time you want me to let you throw yourself to your death, I WILL!"

The last two words were punctuated by angry fissures in the ground beneath them. The ground seem to rumble beneath them before it opened up, swallowing them into the ground below.

"Sakari!" Houjin yelled, twisting in the air. She looked up at him, reaching across to grab his outstretched hand.

The ground was nearing fast. Sakari pulled herself closer to Houjin. "I have an idea!"

She pushed herself against Houjin, wrapping her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, staring at her in horror. "What are you doing?"

"Don't let go of me!" Sakari replied.

They reached the ground, passing through it as if it were made as sand. Everything stopped and Houjin had a brief moment of hysteria, a thought of being buried alive before the burst upwards, crashing onto the ground but not nearly as hard as they would have from their free fall.

Houjin coughed, sitting up, clutching his chest. "Never again," he gasped. Sakari nodded, visibly shaken.

They both looked up, lightening small flickers of flame in their palms. They were in some sort of cave, the hole through which they had fallen blocked by rocks.

No way out. "We'll have to dig our way out," Houjin muttered, shaking his head. But when he looked to Sakari, he noticed her breathing hard, her hand over her chest. "What's wrong?"

Sakari shook her head. "My heart . . . I – I don't know it just hurts . . . It hurts so bad. I feel so – heartbroken."

She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them again, they glowed white. "Oh, no," Houjin whispered.

He edged closer to her as the walls seemed to tremble again. "Sakari . . . Sakari, look at me."

Tears cascaded down her face even as Houjin got in front of her, resting his hands on her cheeks. "Please, Sakari. Please look at me."

She did and it was almost scary, looking into those bright eyes. Houjin shook his head. "I need you to stay with me. . . . Please, stay with me."

Sakari took a deep shuttering gasp, closing her eyes again. The earth stopped, Sakari sagged forward, into his arms. "It hurts," She whispered, clutching to his vest. He wrapped his arms around her, one of his hands in her hair.

Houjin didn't know what else to do but hold her as she sobbed. He wondered what had happen, if this was a Spirit world thing he wouldn't understand.

Ages later, Sakari slowly went limp in his arms. He held her out away from him, surprised to see her eyes closed, breathing softly. Gently, he lay her on the ground in front of him, letting her sleep.

He hoped everyone was okay, Meifeng, Shui, Appa, and even Hattori and Onyx.

He breathed a sigh of relief, crossing his legs and shaking his head as he gazed down at the girl. She had saved his life twice now and would save him again when she got them out of this cave. He brushed her hair away from her face, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

He owed her so much. He just wished he had a better way of expressing it to her.

Well. . . .

He had all night to think about it.

* * *

Sakari woke up feeling refreshed. She hadn't realized how much strength she had used yesterday when she saved . . . .

Houjin.

That jerk.

She sat up, not surprised to see Houjin already awake. A small flame was ignited in his hands as he moved around their small cave, trying to find a way out. He coughed, hard. She stood up, slightly worried, and he turned when he heard her . . .

And he nodded at her. "How are you feeling?"

Well. . . .

She wasn't quite sure what to say. Whatever she had been expecting, that hadn't been it. "I'm – I'm still angry with you."

"I know."

"Well – well as long as you know." Sakari walked to stand beside him, feeling along the walls. "I think I can get us through."

"And if not. . . ." Houjin asked.

"Then the whole cave could come in on us."

Houjin swallowed, nodding . . . "Okay. . . . I'll trust you."

Sakari stared at him trying to decide if she was still staring at the same Houjin who she had yelled at yesterday. "Okay. . . ."

Again, Sakari lay her hand on the earth walls again, closing her eyes, trying to feel for any vibrations, anything that would tell her where a hollow spot was in the –

Water.

Not a whole lot, nothing like the sound or vibrations of the ocean but perhaps a small creak, something that came from the ocean.

"Stand back," she murmured to Houjin.

Squatting, she stomped down and pushed, clearing a pathway. Sure enough, a soft trickle of water brushed against her feet. She stood straight, smiling. Behind her Houjin, coughed again, harder this time. Sakari turned. "Are you alright?"

Houjin nodded, moving forward. "Let's see if we can find a way out," he said, lighting a flame in his palm again.

He walked through the hole Sakari had made first, turning slightly to hold out his hand to her. She took it, letting him lead her through the cave. Water dripped from the ceiling but Sakari and Houjin paid attention to the water on the floor; the water that would hopefully lead them out. . . .

Though Sakari was paying more attention to Houjin. His breathing was heavily labored and his palm felt sweaty against hers. . . .

And then he slipped. Houjin never slipped. . . . Sakari caught him, helping to sit down. "What's wrong?"

Houjin shook his head, trying to answer but falling into a coughing fit. Sakari placed her hand against his forehead, drawing back quickly. "You're burning up."

Looking around she bent the water from the floor, letting it encase her hand but Houjin grabbed her wrist. "We have to keep moving," he said weakly.

"Houjin," Sakari said taking his hand in her free one. "You've been taking care of me for months now. You're sick. Let me take care of you, okay?"

Houjin didn't argue this time. The water still floating around her hand, she lay it against Houjin's forehead. His body sagged in relief. "You're gonna be okay," Sakari whispered. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Houjin chuckled. "That's my line."

Sakari smiled slightly. "Well today we'll share it."

* * *

**A/N: A little Houjin and Sakari for you. I was gonna keep going but that felt like enough for today. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time. **


	22. Apart

**A/N: Hey guys! Shoutout to new favorite and alert readers: BSG75 and DarthAbby! And to those who have reviewed (since I can't respond directly): DarthAbby, kayrayn, DeathBySugarCube, and Another Dead Hero! You guys rock!**

* * *

Well. . . .

Hattori stopped, waiting for Meifeng and Shui to catch up. They weren't used to walking a lot like he was and, therefore, moved slower.

This wasn't going as planned, was it?

Appa, the poor old beast, wasn't ever going to make it, Shui's wonderful healing abilities or not. He and Shui had dug him a grave using shovels Shui found at a nearby house. It had been hard work, definitely, building a grave for an animal that big but Shui and Meifeng were adamant about not leaving him just lying there, which he could respect. Appa had been more than just an animal, he had been family. Hattori had only known Appa for a few weeks but the big guy had been nice from what he knew and he didn't mind helping with the burial.

Now they were slumming it, the supplies they had managed to keep slung over their backs, Onyx slumped over Hattori's shoulders, and one katana in Hattori's hand so that he could chop branches out of the way.

"We're lost," Shui muttered angrily for the hundredth time . . . and was promptly blown head first into the bushes besides him.

Oh no.

Shui got out of the bushes, throwing his pack on the ground.

"Hey!" Hattori shouted. "There's food in there!"

"What was that for Meifeng?" Shui shouted, ignoring Hattori.

"I am sick and tired of you complaining, _Shui_," Meifeng told him, pushing her hair out of her face.

"So you Airbend me into a bush?"

"Yes . . . so shut up."

Shui stepped in front of his sister. "We've been walking aimlessly in this direction for hours! We should have gone back to find Houjin and Sakari!"

"There were soldiers patrolling the shore!"

"And we should have fought them! Sakari and Houjin could be hurt!"

"We have no clue where they are! They could have gone to any part of this forsaken island! Besides, we know that they're fine! We saw Sakari cushion their fall into the water and Sakari's a healer, just as good as you are while Houjin is in over-protective nitwit! They're fine and they know where we're going!"

"Oh spirits!" Shui threw his hands up in the air. "Here we go again with the Northern Air Temple! You've been going on and on about this place since we left home!"

"And I've told you that it's important that we go there and that's where we're going!"

"Why, Meifeng? To pursue some crazy dream of yours? What do you think is going to happen when we get there, huh? There's nothing there! Nothing but dirt, stone, and bones!"

"No, that's not true! You're so pigheaded! I can't believe we're having this conversation again! I have a letter! A letter from Dad! He said if we go there, if Sakari and I can get there we can learn everything we need to know about Airbending! Dad said –"

"Dad's dead! Dad's not coming back! You call me pigheaded and close-minded and yet you've been fixated on this one thing for years now! There is no sense in us going to go this place when there is nothing there!"

"Fine! Fine, Shui! If you don't want to go then don't! I'll go on without you!"

"Fine!"

Shui started off in the direction they had come from while Meifeng continued forward. They both stopped for a second, turning and shouting, "Come on, Hattori!" before they continued on their way.

Hattori stood in the middle and he sighed. He looked to Onyx who was still slumped on his shoulder. "Why don't you go talk to angry girl and I'll handle whiny boy."

Onyx mewed, stretching his arms and making himself more comfortable on Hattori's shoulders before he closed his eyes. Hattori glared at the cat. "Some friend you are, making me deal with the both of them. And here I was thinking we had something special. Can you at least go and make sure she doesn't get too far?"

Onyx peeked out of one eye before letting himself slip from Hattori's shoulders and moving in Meifeng's direction.

Hattori put his hands on hips, looking in the directions that the two benders had gone in. He really wished Sakari was here. She seemed to know how to deal with the two of them when they got angry.

He looked over, not surprised to see Avatar Aang standing there. Avatars rarely appeared to him, not like other spirits. Avatars were powerful enough to choose when and where they wanted to be seen.

"What is going on?" he asked, knowing full well that it wasn't his business but not knowing if he could deal with the siblings if he didn't understand.

Avatar Aang smiled softly. "Something important. Something that could be life altering for my daughter and Sakari. They need to reach the Air Temple."

"How do you expect me to accomplish that?" Hattori asked. He gestured around him. "They clearly have different opinions about the situation we're stuck in. You're letter is driving them apart."

"So pull them together again." With a shrug, Avatar Aang disappeared from sight.

Hattori groaned. "Great. Great advice you know! Jerk," he muttered.

He shook his head, frustrated. Well it was up to him now, he supposed.

With a sigh he hurried to catch up with Shui first, knowing Meifeng would take some time. Shui hadn't gotten far, angrily pushing branches out of his way which just meant it came back and slapped him all over.

"Shui," Hattori said, exasperated. "Shui come on."

"Glad to see you have some sense," Shui said, whipping aside another branch which flashed back and hit him in the face. "Unlike _her_. If we hurry we might meet Sakari and Houjin before they head to the temple."

"Well . . . now that you mention it. . . ." Hattori moved in front of Shui. "I've come to take you back to your sister."

Shui frowned, shaking his head. "I should have figured. Of course you'd stand up for _Meifeng_. Why wouldn't you stand up for _Meifeng_? _I'm _not the one you're in love with."

Hattori drew back, eyes wide. "Oro?"

"You know she hasn't even let me see the letter?" Shui continued ignoring the question. "This supposed letter she's gotten from dad. She just wants to go to this Air Temple in this deluded fantasy that Sakari will show her dad, you know."

"Wait what do you mean love?"

Shui waved it off. "It's not that big of a deal, I don't care. Rather you than anyone else I guess. Meifeng's eighteen, she can make her own decisions about who she sees."

"Oh. Okay." Hattori shook his head. They would not talk about this now or ever, especially not with her younger brother. "Look . . . I don't know what letter you're talking about or what's going on but – you're sister really wants to go to the Temple and it seems like it's important. If you're right and there's nothing there, then la-di-da, you were right. . . . But this is important to Meifeng and the least you can do as her brother is be supportive."

Shui looked down at the ground for a moment. "Fine. Fine, okay."

Hattori gave a sigh of relief. Maybe he was better at the whole communication thing than he thought. "Great. Really great! Alright, er, let's go ahead and find Meifeng. I'd better talk to her first, make sure she's calmed down."

Shui went slightly pale. "Yea. . . Yea, you do that. And, Hattori? Be very brave, no matter what."

Hattori felt the blood drain from his own face. He hadn't ever really seen Meifeng at her most intense fury. He could end up regretting this.

He ran through the woods though, determined to find Meifeng. He hoped she hadn't gotten far. She could be faster than her brother if she used Airbending.

He passed the spot where the argument had occurred, pushing through the branches in the direction he had known Meifeng had gone in.

"Mei –" He stopped notcing Meifeng sitting on the ground. Onxy sat in her lap, both of them staring up at him amused. He breathed out. "Wow, you didn't get very far."

Meifeng shook her head, running her fingers through Onyx's fur. "Onyx wouldn't move anywhere and I didn't want to leave him so . . . here I am. Besides I'm not stupid. I know I'd get lost without you."

Hattori grinned cheekily, sitting down in front of her. She didn't seem mad so maybe he didn't have to fear for his life. "So in other words, you need me . . . as in just me."

The Airbender rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you happy, Hattori."

That made him very happy indeed. He leaned back on his hands. "So what is this all about Meifeng? This whole temple thing."

Meifeng looked at the ground. "It's complicated."

"Hey, it's fine." He shrugged. "You don't have to explain anything to me but Shui just really wants to understand."

"That's just the thing. . . ." Meifeng sighed. "Mom loves us, dearly I know she does but Shui doesn't understand. He's always had mom, she's always been able to teach Shui and work with him. What have I had? A lousy scroll. Two years younger, and Shui is a master. I'm no closer to mastering my element than I was when I was Shui's age."

"You're still pretty great," Hattori said, to which Meifeng to look up. He looked to the ground. "I mean – the stuff you do. It's amazing, really. Mind blowing, no pun intended."

A slight blush appeared on her face and she looked down again. "Thank you – but it's been hard, incredibly hard. My father said that if I could go to the Air Temple, I'd learn so much about my history."

"That's why we're going." Hattori got to his feet, brushing off the seat of his pants. He smiled down at her. "Come on."

Meifeng shook her head. "I can't. I can't leave Shui."

"You're not. He's coming too He wants to understand better, Meifeng. You don't have to show me any letter but you might want to show him. He should be catching up with us any second now so come on.

She stared up at him for a second before gathering Onyx in one arm and slipping her free hand into his. He pulled her to her feet, not meaning for her to be this close to him. She was shorter than him, only really coming up to his chin. He stared down at her now, into those big gray eyes, and because she couldn't, he reached up with his free hand to push back the strand of hair that had fallen in the way. He wasn't sure if she was leaning up or he was leaning down but –

"Hey! Hattori, Meifeng!" Shui burst through the bushes, stopping in front of Hattori and Meifeng who were now standing at least five feet apart. He sighed, giving them a sheepish smile. "I thought you guys might have gone on without me."

Meifeng stepped forward, wrapping her free arm around her brother's shoulders, all forgiven. Shui grinned at her. "Yeah, yeah, I know, now get off of me."

He started walking, turning around to look at them. "Are you coming?"

Smiling at each other Meifeng and Hattori moved to follow after the younger boy but not before Hattori took Meifeng's hand in his.

* * *

**A/N: HIYA! Hope you liked it! Thanks everyone for reading see you next time!**


	23. Interlude

**A/N: hey you guys! Shout out to new favorite or alert reader: Escapedreality! And my reviewers: Another Dead Hero and DarthAbby! Thanks!**

* * *

Sakari stomped down, pushing forward the earth in front of them. Light streamed through the hole and she smiled. Turning, she gently grabbed Houjin's arm, drapping it over her shoulders. "Some fresh air will be good for you," she murmured.

Houjin nodded and she thought his skin looked less pale as they stepped out into the open air. She sat him down on a nearby boulder and he leaned back, coughing slightly. "So where do we go from here?" he asked.

Sakari put her hands on her hips. "Meifeng really wanted to go to the Northern Air Temple. You know how she is. . . . I'm sure they'll still head that way so maybe we should too."

Just as she wishing she had a map, Houjin got to his feet. "That'll be this direction then."

"How do you know?" she asked following him as he moved stiffly.

"Traveling as much as we did, you learn these things," he responded. Turning, he held out his hand to her. Without hesistation she took it, letting him lead her to the north. But then he stopped, looking at her. He cast his eyes to the ground, his hand squeezing hers. "I never said I was sorry . . . or thank you for anything. I owe you my life three times over and you deserve to be treated better. So I'm sorry."

He looked up and Sakari met his gaze, smiling. . . . "Apology accepted."

Again Houjin looked at the ground before he stepped forward and kissed her. Though her body stiffened for a second, she relaxed and kissed him back. This was . . . nice. She had been waiting for him to kiss her again. . . .

Houjin pulled back, clearing his throat. "We should probably get moving."

Sakari nodded and Houjin squeezed her hand again before continuing to walk, pulling her forward.

She found herself thinking she could actually love Houjin if he let her. Right now though, he was still kind of closed off but she thought he might love her too.

A smile came to her face and she giggled a little bit causing Houjin to look back at her, his eyebrow raised in question. She just shrugged her shoulders. Houjin sighed, shaking his head.

This could be the start of something great.

* * *

Meifeng stumbled, looking up at Hattori when he grabbed her arm, smiling at him. He smiled back, pulling her up straight. "We're almost there," he said. On his shoulders Onyx purred softly.

Shui walked ahead of them, happily using one of Hattori's katanas to hack through the overgrowth. Meifeng smiled at his back. She didn't know what Hattori had said to him before but she was glad for it. Her little brother was all she had. She wouldn't have gone anywhere without him really but was glad that he had decided to go to the Northern Air Temple.

It had been a long walk so far. Four days of sleeping on the dirt and traveling through the woods and across a lake. She was exhausted and she desperately missed Appa but not for just transportation. He was her best friend and she had loved him. She desperately hoped he had known that now that he was with dad.

"What –?" she started looking to Hattori. He met her gaze, an eyebrow raised. "What do you and my dad talk about?"

Hattori shrugged. "He doesn't come around often for us to be friends. . . . He just asked me to keep you and your bro together. He doesn't like it when you two fight and such."

"Did he – did he say anything about you?" she asked hesistantly.

"What do you mean 'anything about' me?"

"Did he . . . like you?"

"Oh . . . _oh_." Hattori stopped and Meifeng was pleasantly surprised to see his face get slightly red. "Well, uh, I don't know – we never really, er, talked about me. Does it matter if he does?"

"Well, sort of. . . ." Meifeng held her hands behind her back. "If I like you, it would be nice if my dad liked you too."

Hattori leaned towards her. "Wait. _If_ you like me?"

"Yep." Meifeng glanced in the direction in which her brother had hurried off. "You know if you're going to kiss me you should probably do it before –"

She had been trying to say 'before Shui came looking for them' but then Hattori's mouth was pressed against hers, kissing her quiet soundly. She hadn't been prepared to like it so much.

He moved away, his hand resting on her shoulder. Meifeng looked up into those red eyes, that seemed to be glowing, and smiled softly. Hattori smiled back. "Took me long enough, I know, should of hauled tail."

Onyx mewed and Meifeng looked up at the cat, and could almost swear that he rolled his eyes. Hattori laughed. "Quiet cat."

"Hey!" Shui had come back, the tip of the Katana resting in the dirt. He rolled his eyes. "If you guys want to make out, please do it on your own time. The mountains are just up here and – you're not going to believe it."

Meifeng and Hattori glanced at each other, Hattori grabbing onto Meifeng's hand to pull her forward. Shui ran ahead, a grin on his face. "This is insane really."

"What is it?" Meifeng asked.

"_I _wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"What?"

"Just come on!"

The two older Benders followed after Shui the trees becoming thinner as they headed towards the mountains. Shui stopped, turning towards his sister and pointing upwards.

Meifeng and Hattori followed his finger, looking up into the sky. Meifeng placed her hands over her mouth, tears coming to her eyes. Onyx leaped from Hattori's shoulders as he shook his head. "Well . . . you don't see that everyday."

_Airbenders._

* * *

_Dearest Meifeng,_

_If you are reading this letter it means you are traveling with the new Avatar and I know you are doing great things. As the Avatar, I don't think I ever truly learned everything I could have but I learned something wonderful and now I want you to as well._

_Your mother will tell you how I defeated Fire Lord Ozai by taking away his bending. I was able to do this through a forgotten form of bending called Energybending. This form of bending predates all other bendings, as well as the Avatar and the separation of all nations. Before all of this, people bent the energy within them. True heart, true mind. But more to the point not only does Energybending allow for ones knowledge of bending to be taken away, but also as a way to impart the knowledge of bending._

_During your travels, I ask you to go to the Northern Air Temple. There you will find a group of people to whom I have given the knowledge of Airbending. I am sorry I couldn't teach what all you needed to know as the Airbender and it must have been so hard. You are my daughter, though, and I know you are just as powerful as anyone. But I leave this gift to you in the hopes that you can learn and grow more in your Bending. They are kind people, people I trust and they deserve the right to fly as much as anyone. They will teach you what I could not._

_I love you, Meifeng._

_Your Father_

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**A/N: A lot of lovin going on in this chapter huh? And about the Energybending all of what I have written is legit! You can look it up for yourself if you don't believe me! Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you later!**


	24. Normal

**A/N: Hey! Shout out to my reader: DarthAbby! You rock :D**

**Disclaimer: I've forgotten to do this in a while but you guys know I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

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Houjin peeked out from behind the tree before motioning to Sakari to follow him. They stayed lowed, moving through the bushes as quietly as possible, Houjin wrapping his arm around Sakari's waist to hold her still as he played lookout again.

"Couldn't we just fight whoever we run into?" Sakari whispered into his ear.

He smirked at her. "Probably but I wouldn't want to cause a scene. Besides, this is a Fire Nation colony . . . I'd hate for us to be outnumbered."

"But not outmatched?"

"We'll never be outmatched. . . . Cutting around is going to take forever. Just – act natural."

Holding her hand, Houjin skirted around the trees, leading her through the town. No one paid them any attention as they strolled, walking calmly. If their sudden appearance was strange to anyone, nothing was said.

Sakari looked up at Houjin, who's determined eyes were straight ahead. She realized she didn't know much about this boy who she was sure she falling in love with. So, as they walked through the crowded street she asked, "What's your favorite food?"

Houjin looked down at her, obviously confused. "What?"

"What's your favorite food?" she repeated. "What is it that you like to eat?"

"Uh. . . ." the question was obviously unexpected and Sakari thought Houjin looked incredibly unsure. "I've never really thought about it before. What do you like to eat?"

"I've always liked Moon Peaches. They're nice and sweet."

"Well . . . I guess I don't really have a favorite food. I really liked fire flakes the one time I tried them. I would eat those again if that counts."

"It counts." Sakari smiled up at him. "What's your favorite color?"

". . . . We've never talked about this stuff before."

"So why not now? It would look really awkward if we were just walking down the street not saying anything, don't you?"

"I guess." He was quiet as they continued to walk through the city. Sakari sighed, giving up. It would be hard to have any sort of relationship with the boy if he didn't want to have a normal conversation. What could she – ? "Green."

Sakari looked up to him with a grin on her face. "Mine's yellow."

As they continued through the street, they continued to ask each other questions, a seemingly normal couple on an average day. . . .

Well . . . at least until they stole the Ostrich Horse.

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**A/N: Lol just a little filler for you. Did you miss me :D Hope you liked it and the next chapter will definitely be longer.**


	25. The Northern Air Temple

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Howdy :D Shout out to my new readers: Kataangfan123 and toph12341. You guys rule my world!**

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Houjin shifted slightly in his position on top of the Ostrich Horse, but not too much in fear of jostling Sakari who was asleep against his back. He hoped they were close to their destination because traveling was wearing the both of them pretty thin.

For three days they had been riding, trying to find some sign that they were getting closer to where they needed to be. He hadn't thought they had gotten that much thrown of course but it appears he had been wrong. He sighed, shaking his head. They needed to rest.

He pulled the Ostrich Horse to a stop and Sakari woke up. "Are we there yet?"

"No," Houjin murmured, sliding off of the animal before wrapping his arms around Sakari's waist and helping her down as well.

The girl shivered when he let her go, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. "We have to be closer than we were. It's gotten colder."

Houjin nodded but how close were they? He wasn't sure if anyone who couldn't fly could find the Northern Air Temple, hidden on top of the mountains as it was. "I'll make a fire."

The sky around them was getting dark. They couldn't keep traveling like this. They're food supply was slowly dwindling down; they might have a day and a half's worth of food left over. He didn't tell this to Sakari though, he didn't want to worry her.

She sat down on the ground as he struck up the fire, holding her hands. Sitting down next to her, he took her hands in his, warming them up slightly. She smiled at him for a second before gazing into the fire. "I miss the others."

Houjin nodded. "Yeah . . . me too."

"I hope someone's taking care of Onyx," she mumbled.

"I hope they find a lot of food for Appa," Houjin replied. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a sad look settle over Sakari's face. It was the same thing that happened whenever he mentioned Appa. He didn't know, though, if she realized it happened. All he knew was that he didn't like that look.

Sakari grinned, giggling. "I hope they find a lot of food for us."

The Firebender smiled, nodding. "I hope –"

He paused, turning to look over his shoulder.

"Houjin?"

"Shh." There it was again, a sweeping sound like air but not exactly, different. He hopped to his feet. "We got to move."

He grabbed her hand, pulling her away as she bent a patch of dirt over their fire. They ran, through the bushes, the sound still following them. Houjin had no clue what it was but he didn't want to wait till it found them.

A low cry carried over on the wind, becoming louder as it got lower, nearing them. Something crashed to the ground in front of them, smoke filling the area.

"Don't let go of my hand!" Houjin cried out to a coughing Sakari. His eyes were burning and he couldn't see where he was going but he felt it when something heavy dropped in front of him, a sharp staff hitting him in the back of his knees and sending him to the ground. Beside him, he heard the same thing happen to Sakari.

When the smoke was blown away, he peered through blurry eyes at the masked face above him, the staff pointed dangerously at his neck. "State your business in this area!" the figure said.

Houjin glared back as best he could. He wasn't saying anything.

"Wait!" There was another sweep though the air before another figure touched ground, hurrying forward. Meifeng appeared in Houjin's field of vision, smiling brightly. She looked up at the figure. "It's my friends! It's the Avatar! I told you they were coming!"

"The Avatar?" The figure removed their mask, revealing a young boy, not much older than Meifeng. "Are you serious?"

"Give them some air!" Meifeng pulled Houjin to his feet, turning to help Sakari to her feet as well. In one sweep she pulled the two of them into her arms. "I thought you guys would never make it!"

"Meifeng –" Sakari stuttered. "I can't breathe!"

"I'm just so happy to see you two!" Meifeng cried releasing them. "Shui and Hattori will be so glad."

Houjin was just barely listening as his friend rambled on. He peered around at the people who had attacked them, removing their masks. Each of them held a staff, not unlike the one Meifeng used to carry before they were caught in Ba Sing Se. "Who are these people?"

Meifeng grinned, looking to Sakari. "They are our teachers."

Simultaneously, a click sounded in the small area and the staffs the people were holding turned into gliders. With cries of joy, they shot up into the air, spiraling and dancing on the wind. Houjin could do nothing but watch, shocked and amazed while Sakari put her hands over her mouth, shaking her head. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it," Meifeng replied. She elbowed Houjin in his arm. "Told you my dad had something major planned. Come on, I'll take you up the 'walkers' way. Hattori and Shui are waiting for us!"

Houjin and Sakari followed Meifeng through the forest to the base of a mountain, moving some bushes aside to press in a rock that was jetting out from the larger base. A door lifted and she gestured for them to get inside as she moved the bushes back in place. She hopped in and the door closed behind her. "It's like a lift," she explained as the wooden floor beneath their feet rocked gently before rising.

"How in the world is this possible?" Houjin finally asked.

"Energybending," Meifeng said. "It's really confusing but somehow, Dad Bent the knowledge of Airbending into these people."

"Who are these people?"

"Apparently, these were people who were living here at the Temple. They weren't Airbenders when my dad met them but they used gliders to fly through the air. Dad decided if anyone deserved the knowledge of Airbending, it was them. Wait until you meet Ki, he's the best . . . though I don't think Hattori likes him for some reason."

Above their heads, a door drew open and the lift carried them through. Airbenders, of all shapes and sizes, danced and flew about, skipping through the air, happy as anything. It truly was an amazing sight to see.

"Houjin, Sakari!" Houjin grunted as Shui wrapped his arms around both him and Sakari. "We were worried about you!"

Sakari laughed before she was grabbed into another pair of arms, Hattori squeezing her tight. When he let go, Onyx traveled his way from his shoulders to Sakari's, rubbing his face against her cheek. "I think that's his way of saying it took you guys long enough to get here."

"Nice to see you too," Houjin muttered, shaking the other Firebender's hand and scratching Onyx's head. He looked around at all the gliders floating through the air, frowning. "Wait, where's Appa?"

The happy mood seem to deflate slightly. Shui looked down, Hattori put his hand on Meifeng's shoulder and she smiled sadly. "Appa – Appa didn't make it."

Houjin took a step back. Appa. . . . Well, that explained Sakari's breakdown in the cave. Aang's spiritual guide had gone to join him. Oh, Appa . . . he had been like a father to him, to all of them. He felt a warmth against his hand, and he looked over as Sakari slid her hand into his, eyes shining.

"Hattori and Shui buried him," Meifeng told them. "We gave him a nice funeral. He died a hero, Houjin. When all this is over, we can take you to the spot so you can say goodbye. . . ."

Houjin nodded, at lost for what to say. His eyes burned but he didn't want his friends to see him cry. Meifeng stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her oldest friend's shoulders again, followed by Shui and then Sakari. Hattori stood back, silently watching. Houjin shook his head, stepping back. Meifeng smiled at him. "We miss him too."

"Meifeng!" The boy from the forest landed lightly on his feet in front of the girl in question, grinning. He turned to Sakari. "You must be the Avatar. Welcome to the Northern Air Temple! Sorry for attacking you guys earlier."

Shui shrugged. "Eh they're used to it, we all are."

"This is Ki," Meifeng explained, smiling. Ki was tall and lanky, maybe about nineteen. His green eyes were happy and exuberant as he threw an arm around Meifeng's shoulders.

"How about we give you the grand tour, Sakari?" Ki asked. "There's tons of people waiting to meet you, especially Teo. He was good friends with the Avatar back in his day."

Meifeng grabbed Sakari's hand, pulling her away from the others. The Waterbender looked back at Houjin. "You okay?"

He nodded smiling slightly as Sakari turned to wave at him before she, Meifeng, and Ki disappeared down a tunnel. Shui elbowed the Firebender. "Looks like you two had some well deserved quality time."

"Shut it," Houjin mumbled, pushing his friend. Shui grinned, running off to sit amongst some Airbender girls who jumped up into the air before he could get settled. Houjin turned to Hattori, whose red eyes seemed darker. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Hattori replied, throwing his hands in the air. "Absolutely nothing! I'm just perfectly fine you know? Everything is fan-freaking-tastic! Why would it not be?"

He sent one last scathing glare in the direction Meifeng had gone before turning around and walking off, mumbling something about 'fancy feet'. He stopped, looking at what seemed to be a twig. "Shut up, I'm not in the mood you!"

Houjin shrugged, moving off to go find himself a nice place to rest and think away from the laughter for a while and the spirit interacting Firebender.

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**A/N: HEY! Longer chapter, what did you think? Hattori's a little jealous ain't he lol. Hope you liked it and I'll see you next time :D BTW just realized I've been writing this for little over a year now. Amazing!**


	26. Got It Bad

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Sakari looked over the edge of the high cliff, stepping back. She looked to Meifeng and Ki, who were standing on either side of her. "But I haven't even learned to Bend a breeze yet!"

"That's the great thing about this trick!" Ki said with a grin. "You don't need to know how to Airbend to do this. Right Teo?"

The all turned to look at the man in the wheelchair, who gave them a wide smile, his long black hair waving in front of grey eyes. "Meifeng and Ki won't leave your side, Sakari. And how can you expect to understand the basics of Airbending if you've never experienced the freedom it can give you?"

Sakari swallowed, the glider resting against her back. She looked to Meifeng. "If I die, just know the end of the world will be all your fault."

Meifeng laughed, rolling her eyes. "Are you ready to jump?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not at all," Ki replied. "We'll be right above you and below you. Just jump and let the wind carry you."

The Waterbender nodded, taking a deep breath. With a slight scream, she jumped.

She wasn't going to make it! The wind was moving to fast! She was going to hit the ground and she was going to die! She – she –

She hadn't hit the ground yet. . . .

Sakari opened her eyes, watching the ground move beneath her, feeling the air whip her busy ponytail.

_She was flying_.

"You're doing it Sakari!" Meifeng cried from somewhere above her. "You're flying!"

Ki cried out enthusiastically, twirling through the air. Sakari laughed, nervous but happy. She pulled up on the glider, sending her soaring higher into the air until she was next to Meifeng who grinned at her. "You're a natural!"

Sakari laughed again, urging her glider to spin. So this is what Meifeng felt like. This is why she could continue to be so happy! Why hadn't anyone told her before?

This just might be the best training she had ever received.

* * *

"This is the worst training ever," Sakari groaned, plopping next to Hattori, dangling her legs over the edge of the cliff. Her whole body was sore, having been going through tons of different stretches and techniques with Meifeng and Ki under the direction of Teo. She still hadn't even really learned Airbending yet!

Next to her Hattori grunted, leaning back on his hands to look up at Meifeng, who flew above them, Ki on her tail. Hattori picked up a rock and threw it as far as he could. On his lap, Onyx mewed in protest before standing, stretching, and moving to Sakari's lap. Sakari watched her Firebending friend, concerned. "Want to come help me do some Firebending training? We could do anything we want, I won't tell Houjin."

The boy shook his head. "Not really."

"What's wrong with you?"

Hattori frowned, turning to her. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? There's nothing wrong. What could possibly be wrong with me telling Meifeng that I like, hell, maybe even love, her only to have her run off with fancy-foot Ki like it's no big deal? There's nothing wrong with that all. Everything is _splendid._"

Sakari smiled softly at him, despite his obvious anger. She leaned back on her hands as well. "She really cares about you."

The boy scoffed, shaking his head again. The Waterbender laughed. "No, I'm serious. She blushes whenever someone brings up your name. She's got it bad for you."

"Maybe she's embarrassed. I am a younger guy after all."

"Ki has a girlfriend."

"That makes it even worse."

"She's just excited, Hattori. She's never met other Airbenders before. Maybe, if your so, I don't know, insecure, you should just go up to her and kiss her."

Hattori stared back at her for a second, before pushing himself to his feet. As he walked past her, Sakari turned, "Wait, Hattori! I was just kidding!"

She watched as Hattori called up to Meifeng before she jumped to her feet. She so did not want to see this. She ran into Houjin during her escape. "Hey, what are you – what are we doing?" he asked as she grabbed his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction.

"Trust me, I doing you a huge favor," Sakari said, smiling back at him. "Want to come train with me?"

Houjin gave her a soft smile, moving to walk beside her and wrap his hand in hers. A faint blush came to her face. Okay . . . maybe she was the one who had it bad.

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**A/N: Just a filler lol. Thanks for being patient and reading! Hope you liked it!**


	27. Caught

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Meifeng flew through their air, away from the Air Temple, her face inflamed. She couldn't believe Hattori had done that! She had never been so embarrassed, so mortified, so. . . .

Happy.

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"_Meifeng!"_

_She looked from Ki to the ground below, surprised to see Hattori standing there, arms crossed over his broad chest. She looked to Ki again, who shrugged, twirling away in the wind. Closing her glider, Meifeng let herself drift to the ground, landing lightly in front of her – friend? Boyfriend? She still wasn't very sure. They had reached the Air Temple moments after he had kissed her and since then she had been busy learning so many new things, she hadn't had time to talk to him_

_As it was, his red eyes seemed to burn as he frowned at her, jaw clenched. Meifeng tightened her fingers around her staff, nervous. "What's wrong?"_

"_Do you like me?" he asked suddenly, startling her._

"_Of course I do," she told him, eyes wide. "What is this –?"_

_Hattori shook his head, reaching forward to wrap one hand around the back of her neck and the other around her wrist. He pulled her towards him, kissing her. Around them, she could hear her fellow Airbenders hooting and laughing. _

_The Firebender pulled back slightly and Meifeng opened her eyes to find him gazing at her. He tapped her chin, smirking slightly. "Maybe you could show it off a bit better, you know?"_

_He pressed another quick kiss against her lips before walking away, a slight bounce to his step as he whistled._

* * *

The other Airbenders had teased her so much she decided to get away for a while. She honestly hadn't even realized that Hattori was feeling neglected. She cared about him a lot actually. When she got back to the temple, she'd be sure to go find him first and talk to him. Maybe she out to head back now – she had been out a while.

_CLANK!_

Meifeng cried out as something heavy and metal clamped around her ankle, attempting to pull her down.

Looking down as she fought to stay in the air, she saw Firebenders, Earthbenders . . . and Admiral Yaozu.

How had they found them?

Mustering up her strength, she flew up, hearing someone grunt as she did a flip in the air. The weight at the end of the chain lessened but the chain was still there.

She had to get back to the temple and warn everyone!

Another chain wrapped around the tail of her glider, pulling it way from her. She fell through the air, crashing into the leaves of a tree before she could get herself together. She fell through the branches, twigs scratching her face and arms until she hit the ground. She hopped to her feet, swinging her arms around to create a wind tunnel around herself. If no one could get to her, she could escape.

The ground rose, clamping onto her ankles. Meifeng faltered, falling backwards now that her stance was unstable. As soon as her hands hit the ground, her wrists were locked in rock as well. She struggled, trying to break free as Yaozu walked up to her, a smirk on his face.

"Not exactly who I was looking for," he murmured, "but it will have to work."

* * *

"ATTACK! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! ASSUME YOUR POSITIONS!"

On top of the mountain, it was organized chaos. Airbenders, gas bombs strapped across their chest, propelled into the sky, catapults pulled to the ready. Teo rolled up and down the platforms in his wheelchair, calling out orders. Sakari, Shui, Hattori, and Houjin were standing by, waiting for instructions when Hattori spoke up. "Where is Meifeng?"

He hadn't seen her since he had kissed her, maybe ten – twenty minutes ago? He knew she had flown off, face red, but where had she gone and where was she now?

At his words, his three friends searched the sky, the worry growing. "Meifeng!" Shui called out.

"Ki!" Sakari cried, her voice frantic as the Airbender flew over them. He closed up his glider, landing in front of them. "Have you seen Meifeng?"

As if he came to a realization, Ki spun around on the spot, searching. "No! I haven't seen her in the last half hour."

"I'm heading down there," Houjin said, his jaw clenched. "Something must have happened."

"We'll all go," Sakari said, her eyes wide with worry. "It won't do anyone any good if someone else gets captured. Even if we're outnumbered, all of us could probably take them."

"No." The group turned to Hattori, his Katanas drawn, eyes narrowed. "I'm going. You four stay here. They won't have much guard on her because they're focused on the attack of the mountain, trying to get to her," he added, pointing to Sakari. "If she goes down there, they'll kill her. She needs to stay here, where you can all protect her. I'm going to go find and get Meifeng. . . . They kidnapped the wrong girl."

Hattori met Houjin's eyes for a second and understanding passed between them. If it was Sakari down there, Houjin would do anything to get her back. The banished prince nodded. "Bring her back safe."

With that, Hattori turned, jogging towards the lift that would take him down to the bottom of the mountain. He stopped, sighing heavily. "You're not coming with me."

"Of course I am," Shui told him, stepping on the lift. While everyone else had been talking, Shui had been deathly quiet. "She's my sister. I should have been keeping a better eye on her. It's my job to make sure she's okay."

Hattori eyed the boy, surprised by how much he sounded like an older brother, though he clearly wasn't. He reached over gripping the boy's shoulder as the lift started to lower. "Listen to me. I'm going to do whatever – and I mean _whatever_ – it takes to get Meifeng back. You don't need to stoop to my level. Just get people out of the way. If things start to look bad, you get your Waterbending butt out of there. Understood?"

"I'm not a little kid," Shui told him as the lift shuttered to a halt. "I get it. Like I said, she's my sister. This is my job."

The Firebender smirked. "As long as you get it. Stay close."

He slid the door open and he and Shui slipped out. The snuck around the other side, away from the oncoming enemies. They had to have a base of sorts where they were keeping Meifeng.

And then there was a scream.

It could have been anyone, but Hattori knew that it was Meifeng. His heart pounded in his chest and his thoughts clouded over with one simple thought: _Save her._

Oh, they had _definitely_ gone after the wrong girl.

He ran then, Shui on his heels. The scream had come from the east. As they got closer, he could hear more voices, more prominently Meifeng.

"I'm not telling you anything!" Right afterwards, another scream followed, this one more terrified, filled with more pain.

"Hattori!" Shui cried out behind him, but he ignored the boy, swords drawn as he ran forward. Soldiers rushed to him and he fought, swords flashing, blood spattering the ground. Again, Shui screamed his name, but Hattori kept fight, kept destroying.

He had to get to her.

He had to save Meifeng.

He had to –

The air rushed out of his lungs as water gripped him around his stomach, pulling him back away from the carnage he had caused. Shui had dropped the water he had been Bending by the time Hattori had hopped to his feet, his red eyes blazing with fury. "What are you doing?" he screamed.

Shui was staring at him in horror. "You were _killing _people."

"I told you!" Hattori yelled. "You said you got it!"

"I never thought you do this! I never thought –"

"I don't care what you thought! I _told_ you! I told –"

"She wouldn't want you to do this! Meifeng wouldn't want you to –"

"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Hattori turned in the direction of Shui's gaze. Admiral Yaozu stood there, gripping Meifeng with one hand around her upper arm, his other hand holding a ball of flame. Meifeng's wide grey eyes took in the death around her, shocked and horrified. Yaozu grinned, nodding at Hattori. "You have skill boy. Skill and determination. I like that. You are a Hanzo, are you not?"

Hattori pointed on his swords at the old man, taking a step forward. "Let her go . . . now."

"No, I don't think so." Yaozu took a step back, moving the ball of fire closer to Meifeng's face. A bead of sweat dripped from her brow. "Move any closer and I'll burn her pretty face off."

"If you hurt my sister I'll –" Shui started.

"You'll what?" Yaozu asked laughing. "How about we just make a trade? The Avatar for the little Airbender?"

"No deal," Meifeng said through gritted teeth and earned a shake from Yaozu, hard enough that it seemed to rattle her, causing her to cough harshly in pain.

If Hattori ever had a true breaking point, this was it. Charging in pure anger and rage, he rushed the Admiral and tackled him hard enough to make him drop Meifeng to the ground, leaving Shui to tend for her.

Hattori growled, slamming his fist into the Admiral's face multiple times, his swords on the ground. He thought he heard Meifeng and Shui call his name, but he couldn't stop. He screamed at the man, each of his words punctuated by his fist. "DON'T – YOU – EVER – TOUCH – MEIFENG!"

He punched Admiral Yaozu one last time, the man's head falling to the side with a groan, his eyes closed. Breathing hard, Hattori stood up, cracking his neck as he turned and walked back to a shocked Meifeng and Shui. "You okay?" he asked, taking deep breaths.

"Look out!" Shui yelled suddenly but the warning was too late.

Hattori yelled in pain as Yaozu stabbed him in the shoulder with one of his Katana blades.

"Hattori!" Meifeng cried out, moving to Airbend Yaozu away.

Hattori turned, bending down to grip up his other blade with his good arm, swinging it at Yaozu with a feral cry. His aim was true and the knife struck against the Admiral's neck.

Everything went silent, not a sound made. The Admiral stared at Hattori for a moment before he fell to the ground, his head rolling off into the bushes.

Yaozu was dead.

Hattori reach behind himself, pulled his sword out of his shoulder, the pain almost unbearable. Again, he turned to Meifeng and Shui, giving them a slight smirk. "Your dad's not gonna like that. . . ."

He felt himself falling, hitting the ground. Meifeng called his name again but it sounded so far away.

Everything went black.

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**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you liked this chapter. Sorry it took me so long lol. It's been horribly busy. Thanks to Another Dead Hero for helping me with the end of this one. See you guys next time!**


	28. Troubled Mind

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

**A/N: S/o to my new reader: Closing, Dreamer-.-LYNX! Thanks hun :D**

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Hattori moaned, rolling over onto his side. A sharp pain in his shoulder woke him completely and he sat up, gasping for air. His shoulder was wrapped, the wound seemingly gone but he could still feel the pain.

"Are you okay?" He looked at Meifeng who was sitting on her knees next to his bedroll, her face concerned.

He sat back, leaning against a wall. "I'm fine. This shoulder will be back together in no time. Besides, I've died before, so it's not too bad. . . . Are _you _okay?" he asked, reaching for her.

She leaned back, away from him. He frowned. "What's wrong?"

Meifeng looked down at her hands. When she finally looked up, there were tears in her eyes. "Why?"

"'Why'?" Hattori moved forward. "What are you talking about?"

"Why did you kill all those people?" she whispered, one tear slipping down her face.

"Meifeng – they had you captive . . ." he answered in disbelief. "They were _torturing _you. Yaozu would have _killed_ you."

"But that didn't mean you had to kill them. They were inno –"

"Don't." Hattori pointed a finger at her, standing up. "Don't you dare say they were innocent. They would have killed you as soon as look at you and you're mad at _me _for doing what I had to do to save you?"

"You didn't have to kill them, Hattori," Mefeing said standing up as well. "That's not the way we operate."

"That's not the way _you_ operate. People _die_ Meifeng and those people have helped kill half of them! When Sakari has to step up to fight Azula, what do you think she's going to have to do? It's not like she can say 'Oh, Azula, it would be ever so great if you could just stop' and have teatime!"

"Sakari won't _kill_ her. She isn't that kind of person, none of us are!"

"Well I must not be one of you guys then! It's a war and people are going to get killed! Survival of the fittest. Azula _needs _to die and if you and the rest of your friends can't see that, then you're just stupid!"

Meifeng stared at him for a moment before she turned on her heel, marching for the door. She stopped, turning to face him. "The world isn't so black and white. It doesn't have to be kill or be killed. Out there in the woods; that wasn't survival . . . that was slaughter. That doesn't make you any better than them, it makes you the same. If you're not one of us, you're one of them."

With that she left, leaving Hattori behind. Angrily, he threw himself back down on the bedroll, cringing at the sharp pain in his shoulder again. He didn't need to turn over to know someone else was there. "I'm holding by my choice, Avatar Aang."

He turned his head, looking at Avatar Aang's serious expression. He definitely wasn't happy. "You killed a man in cold blood."

"No." Hattori sat up again. "I killed the guy who was torturing your daughter. I understand you and the Airbenders are against killing, okay, I get it. But you know Yaozu deserved to die."

Aang shook his head, his face a mask of disappointment. "No one deserves to be killed. There are other –"

"NO!" Hattori shouted standing up. "No, I don't want to hear it! Times have changed Aang. There isn't time for peaceful solutions or talking your way out of things. I've been around the Four Nations on my own since y Grandfather died, thanks to Azula and you know what I saw? I saw fear in innocent people's eyes. I saw people starving for food. I saw old people being forced out of their homes because they couldn't afford rent. I even witnessed a family have to give away their own daughter to work as a slave in the 'Royal Palace', just so their whole family wouldn't be killed! Azula ruling the nations is the _worst_, inhumane thing that could ever happen, that I've ever heard of. . . . Just about the same as you abandoning the Air Nomads before Sozin had them killed!"

"Enough!" Aang said. The tension in the air could be cut with a blade but Aang moved forward. "I admit what I did in the past was unforgivable, but it can never be compared on the level of what Azula has done, the murders and the deaths that have taken place because of her hands . . . or even because of yours. I learned from my mistakes and I only hope you do too or else, I'm not sure what can be done for you."

With that, Avatar Aang faded from sight, leaving Hattori alone once more.

* * *

Sakari followed Ki on the gliders, surveying the damage.

When the Airbenders had proved too much and with Admiral Yaozu dead, the Fire Nation had retreated. There wasn't too much damage; the Airbenders along with Sakari and Houjin had managed to keep the solidiers away from the mountain. Everything seemed back to normal, though the Airbenders back at the Temple were very subdued compared to their normal attitudes.

"You ready to head back?" Ki asked her.

"What about the mess?" Sakari asked nodding her head down at the broken brambles and trees.

Ki shook his head. "Nothing we can't take care of later and that nature won't eventually grow back. We should head back. Besides, you have more training to do."

Sakari nodded, following him back to the temple. Houjin was standing on the edge of the cliff when they flew in. Sakari landed in front of him, giving him a soft smile. "I'll meet you in the arena, Ki."

He smiled at the two of them before walking off.

"What's up?" she asked Houjin.

Houjin shook his head but he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him. This was strange. Houjin was never one for public displays of affection so she definitely wasn't prepared for the tight hug, though it was nice. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her face against his chest.

For a moment they stood there, just holding each other. She leaned back away from him, smiling. "What was that for?"

Houjin shrugged, looking down at the ground. "Just felt like it I guess. . . . Is that okay?"

Sakari broke into a wide smile. "Of course it's okay. . . . I just – wasn't expecting it."

He smiled back. "You should get to practice."

Nodding, Sakari leaned forward, kissing him quickly before he let go of her and she ran off in the same direction Ki had gone in.

* * *

"Meifeng?"

The Airbender looked up as Hattori approached her, turning away. "I have to go train with Sakari."

"I'm not going to hold you long," Hattori told her. "Look – I've had to fend for myself for a really long time, you know? Being around people – being around you – is hard for me. I don't operate the same way as you but . . . I know my grandfather wouldn't like the way I was behaving now. The Hanzos didn't become skilled in swords to kill people. . . . What I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and I know that's not going to fix what I've done but I'm willing to wok on me because of you."

Meifeng finally turned to face him fully. "I care about you Hattori but seeing you like that scared me. That's not the kind of person I've seen you be. I don't want people to know you as a murderer. I would like them to see you as I do, kind hearted, brave, and funny. . . . But don't change because of me, Hattori. That's not right. I don't want you to change or work on you because of anyone else but yourself. Once you decide you want to do that then maybe we can talk."

She leaned forward, placing a kiss on his cheek before sighing and walking away towards the training ground.

* * *

**A/N: HEY! Hope you liked it :D Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!**


	29. Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A/N: Hey! S/o to my new readers: Rae-Prite and minnichi! Thanks for reading you guys :D**

* * *

_He couldn't breathe._

_He couldn't see._

_When he opened his mouth to call out her name, he couldn't speak._

_Houjin continued to struggle forward, through the darkness that was surrounding him, smoke feeling his lungs and choking him._

_Where was she?_

_Screaming, horrified, filled with pain, surrounded him. He would always recognize that scream. It was Sakari. Where was she? Who was hurting her? Why couldn't he find her?_

_And then there was the laughter. It echoed through the darkness, sending shivers down his spine. It was cold, maniacal . . . Azula. _

_No, no, no! Where had she come from? She wasn't supposed to be here! How in the world did she find them?_

"_If it isn't my little nephew," Azula murmured. "You really think that she can defeat me? You're going to lose her . . . and it will be your fault!"_

_The ground fell out from beneath him and he felt himself plummeting, away from the screams, away from the laughter. "Houjin!" she screamed._

_It was then that he finally found his voice._

"_Sakari!"_

Houjin hit the floor, hands wrapped around his neck. He gasped for air, trying to get his bearrings, telling himself to calm down. He was in his room, it was his covers that were choking him and it was just Sakari knocking at his door that he was hearing. "Coming!" he called back, trying not to sound as panicked as he felt.

Three nights. This was the same dream that he had been having for the last three nights. He couldn't save her, couldn't help her, no matter how hard they trained. When it came time for them to face Azula again, he would step in for her, challenge his aunt to an Agni Kai. That way, if need be, Sakari could get away before anything happened to her.

"Houjin, are you okay?" Sakari called.

Taking a deep breath, Houjin got to his feet, untangling himself from his bedding and moving to the door. "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry," he said, opening the door.

Sakari smiled up at him, those blue eyes sparkling in the morning light and he couldn't help but smile back. "Were you coming to the spar?"

"Is it time for that already?" Houjin asked scratching his head. "I thought it wasn't until ten."

"It's nearly ten now. . . . You've been looking so tired that everyone sort of agreed to let you sleep in."

"'Sort of'?"

"Well . . . I kind of forced it. I didn't see what the big deal would be."

Houjin shook his head, kind of wishing they had woke him up early. Then maybe he wouldn't have that nightmare. But still he said, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

She smiled brightly. "You're welcome. Are you ready or do you need some time or –?"

"No I'm ready." Houjin stepped forward, reaching to pull the door closed. As they moved down the hallway, he reached over, taking Sakari's hand in his. She looked up at him and smiled but didn't say anything. He smiled back.

He wasn't going to lose her.

He couldn't.

* * *

Meifeng and Sakari stood across from each other, silently, before the bowed, smiling at each other. "Are you ready?" Meifeng asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sakari answered as they stood straight again.

"Remember your training."

Airbending was the element of freedom. It was about flexibility, find and following the path of least resistance, very similar to Waterbending. Sakari thought she had become very flexible. After months of training in the other elements, fearing this exact moment, fearing the moment she would have to learn how to fly, she felt, besides Waterbending, she loved this element the most.

Houjin, Shui, Hattori, and Ki sat on the rocks that surrounded the arena along with a few other Airbenders. "Only Airbending Sakari," Shui told her.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

There was a moment of silence as each girl took a step back, hands extended, ready to spar. Houjin stood up, looking between the girls before he shouted, "Go!"

Meifeng moved first. Jumping back, she slashed her arms in front of her, sending a jet of air at Sakari. Sakari spun with the wind, letting it lift her up slightly before she hit the ground. She barely had a moment before Meifeng was shooting blasts of air at her. Sakari darted out of the way, letting them hit the wall behind her.

"Very good!" Meifeng said laughing before she sprinted forward, propelled by Airbending. Around them people were cheering. This was definitely one of the more joyful sparring matches Sakari had ever been in.

Sakari darted out of the way, letting Meifeng go passed her. Taking in a deep breath, filling her lungs, Sakari blew hard at Meifeng's back. The older girl was caught up in the wind, flying towards the wall. She pulled herself to a stop, turning with a grin. "Let's see you stop this."

She started running then, sprinting around the room as fast as she could. Hattori, Shui, and Houjin hung onto the rocks where they sat, the wind threatening to throw them backwards. The circle Meifeng was making was quickly getting smaller and smaller. The small cyclone was lifting Sakari's feet from the ground. Ki had done this to her before in practice. What had she done to stop him?

"Oh yeah!" she said to herself, even though the wind caught up her words. She swung her arms, trying to catch hold of the wind. Eventually, she did catch her foothold, swing around in the opposite direction of Meifeng's run. The opposite force managed to break the wind, letting Sakari drop down to the ground, smiling at her friend. "How was that?"

"Pretty good," Meifeng agreed, before taking a step back. With a burst of energy, she threw her body forward, Bending the air in front of her so that it formed her shape, barraling towards the Waterbender.

Sakari held up her hands as the figure made impact, gripping it around it's forearms. She felt herself sliding backwards, glimpsing over her shoulder to see the wall nearing. With huge effort, she spun, swinging the strong burst of air away and into Shui, who screamed as he was knocked off his seat and into a wall. Sakari winced. "Sorry!" she called to him.

"I'm okay," he muttered back, waving his hand from his place on the floor.

Sakari looked back to Meifeng, who was standing waiting. It was Sakari's turn to be on the offense. Taking a running start, she propelled herself into the air, landing with a slice of her hand. The result was a blast of wind, speeding across the ground towards Meifeng. The other girl jumped, splitting Sakari's attack in half.

Not giving Meifeng a chance to recurperate, Sakari swung her arms and legs around, sending fierce blasts of air in her friend's direction, before circling her arms in front of her, jumping into the air and landing on a sphere of air, scooting quickly across the ground to her friend. Having dodged the previous attack, Meifeng also created her own air scooter, racing towards Sakari in a game of chicken.

Close to collision, Sakari jumped up, flipping over Meifeng and landing behind her. She pushed her hands forward, the resulting air blast sending her backwards but also pushing Meifeng forward onto the ground but not before she kicked her leg out, sending a jet of air that knocked the already unbalanced Sakari onto her back as well.

Cheers filled the small stadium as the girls got to their feet, their spar having come to a draw. Smiling, they moved together, bowing before hugging each other. "You've got natural skill," Meifeng told her. "I don't know why you were so scared of Airbending."

"Perhaps it's the idea of free falling fifty feet from the air at any given moment," Sakari told her as Shui, Houjin, and Hattori walked over.

Shui patted Sakari on the back. "Way to go! I don't think I've actually seen anyone beat Meifeng."

"It was a draw thanks," Meifeng said, only slightly snippy.

"A very close draw," Houjin argued, taking Sakari's hand. Not that his public displays of weren't appreciated, but they were more frequent nowadays, something that didn't go unnoticed by their friends.

As it were the other three exchanged glances. Meifeng smiled. "How about we take a break? Then we can meet up later and talk about our next move."

Before anyone could make any other suggestion, Meifeng dragged the other boys away, despite protest. Sakari exchanged looks with her – well what was he? Her boyfriend? It felt weird to call him that but that's what he was wasn't he? They kissed, even if not all the time, held hands a lot . . . if they weren't sleeping or training, they were with each other. . . . So maybe he was her boyfriend. "What do you want to do?"

Houjin shrugged. "Do you want to go for a walk or something?"

"Sure," she told him smiling, interlacing her figures with his. He smiled back at her, pulling her out of the arena.

Sakari could figure out what was going on through his mind but she didn't mind the silence as they walked. It was comforting just having him there, by her side. She couldn't imagine him anywhere else.

* * *

**A/N: A little insight into Houjin's behavior. I hope you guys like this chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	30. Beliefs

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender**.

* * *

The five friends sat in the courtyard, staring at the map in between them. Though the Air Temple had proven an impenetrable fortress against the Fire Nation and they had been safe to train and learn there, they knew they couldn't stay. The inevitable fight between Azula and Sakari was coming closer by the day and the longer they waited, the more likely it was that Azula would show up at the Air Temple. No matter how impenetrable, if Azula showed her face, they would not be able to stop her from destroying the Airbenders. They certainly couldn't let that happen again.

So now, the question was, where did they go? The Fire Nation soldiers, those who had escaped after Yaozu was killed, would no doubt head back to Azula. She would know where they were now and may, even at this moment, be preparing to make her way here.

Meifeng was tracing the map underneath her fingers, moving her finger from the Air Temple to Ba Sing Se, looking up at Sakari with a meaningful glance. Sakari looked back down at the map, knowing what this was implying. She raised a hand to her neck where her skin was withered and dry.

"No." The friends looked up at Houjin who was shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

"Houjin," Meifeng started slowly as if she were talking about to a child, "it's for the best. Better to face her first before –"

"All of Azula's armies, Dai Li, and supporters are in Ba Sing Se, probably protecting her," Houjin argued, "and you expect us to be able to just walk in there and face her?"

"Who do you think she will bring if she comes here? All of her armies, Dai Li, and supporters. . . . Wouldn't it be better if we faced her there, on our own terms than wait for her to surprise us by showing up here?"

Shui shook her head. "She's got spies everywhere, Meifeng. No one is going to surprise her anywhere."

"We barely got out last time," Houjin reminded them. "If it weren't for Hattori, we would have died."

"So what do we do?" Hattori asked. "We can't let her come here; she'll slaughter everyone. If we go to Ba Sing Se, we're as good as dead anyway. No matter where we go, the outcome isn't going to be good. It all comes down to Sakari."

At his words, all eyes turned to Sakari.

This was it, wasn't it?

No matter how long they trained, no matter how she tried to forget about it, it still stood that she was going to have to face Azula and she was going to have to win. With all the elements under her belt now, albeit, like Earthbending, a bit shaky, it was time to prove that she was the Avatar and that this world would be at peace.

And she couldn't do it.

The next thing Sakari knew, she was running, her friends calling her name. She couldn't face them, couldn't have them depending on her, knowing that she couldn't do this. What had she been thinking? She was just a silly girl from Kyoshi Island who just happened to be a Waterbender. She couldn't take on Azula, the most powerful bender in the entire world.

She was going to lose and the world would continue to be under the Queen's oppression.

Sakari slowed down to a stop, sliding down to the ground behind a statue of the late Avatar Aang. She pulled her knees to her body, placing her head on her arms as she tried to get herself to breathe again while at the same time trying to keep from crying. She couldn't do anything right.

She was a failure.

"Sakari." Wiping her eyes, Sakari looked up into the kind eyes of Aang. He watched her sympathetically for a moment before holding out his glowing hand. "Maybe you should come with me."

Sakari met his gaze before placing her hand in his.

* * *

Houjin walked through the Temple, keeping an eye out for Sakari as he did. He and the rest had agreed to give her some time to calm down but now he really wanted to find her, make sure she was okay.

They had put too much pressure on her, he thought. It was only a little less than seven months ago that they found her and though she had shown great progress, great growth, they couldn't expect her not to be scared. She had been putting on a good face for all of this because it was expected of her but she was still just one person.

Houjin approached a statue of Avatar Aang, staring up at him. He had never really met the man, might have known him once when he was just a baby, but he couldn't help but wish he was still here, even if that meant he would have never met Sakari . . . and then where would he be?

He needed advice . . . he needed his dad.

As he turned to leave he caught a slight movement out the side of his eye. Frowning, he moved around the statue. "Sakari!"

She was slouched over, her eyes glowing, her features soft. It would figure she'd go to the Spirit world, in need of refuge. Sighing, he leaned down and moved her so that she was lying down before he sat down in front of her, waiting. He didn't want to move her body just in case she came back soon.

* * *

The air blew through Sakari's hair as she pressed her face into Appa's fur. The bison growled softly and she smiled. She had honestly thought she would never see her large friend again.

Sitting up she looked to Avatar Aang who sat beside her, smiling softly. "We have a lot of responsibility as Avatars."

Sakari pulled her knees to her chest again, shaking her head. "How did you handle it all? Not only did you have to face Fire Lord Ozai, but you had to deal with him when he was power charged by a comet. And you were only twelve! I feel like such a coward."

Aang chuckled. "Do you remember how when we first met, I told you were already stronger than me? Do you remember why? It's because you stayed. When I first found I was the Avatar, I ran away and because of that, a war raged on for 100 years. You stayed, Sakari. You stayed even though you were afraid. Courage is not based upon facing the things you know you can handle, but upon facing those things you're afraid to face."

"I won't be able to face Azula," Sakari murmured. "She's much stronger than me, much more powerful. And even if I somehow manage to overcome her, I don't think I'll be able to – to kill her."

Aang was silent for a minute, looking out into the vast sky that surrounded them. "When facing Ozai, because of how I was raised, because of my beliefs I knew I would not be able to kill him. In the end, it'll come down to what you believe is right, Sakari. However, I can offer you a gift that, should you choose a different path, will definitely help you. I was planning to give you this gift anyway but now is as good a time as any. Did Meifeng explain to you how I was able to give the Airbenders of the Northern Air Temple their bending?"

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter! Haven't heard much as far as opinions but it's cool. We are drawing very near the end soon. I daresay there may only be five to six chapters left! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!**


	31. It

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, I totally wouldn't have hired M. Night to make my movie #justsaying.**

**A/N: Shout out to my new reader: minnichi! You rock my world!**

* * *

Sakari blinked, opening her eyes.

Why was the world upside down?

"Welcome back." She looked to her left, not totally surprised to see Houjin sitting there, watching her. She didn't know if he ever realized how soft his eyes got when he looked at her, even if the rest of his face seemed serious. She didn't think she would tell him either. "How's Aang?"

"He's good," Sakari said, sitting up. She smiled a little. "Appa's with him."

Houjin smiled back. "That's good."

They sat there a moment longer, Houjin's legs crisscrossed, Sakari's legs pulled to her chest. She peered up at him, not really wanting to look him in the eye. "I've disappointed you."

Houjin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I ran," she answered as if it was obvious.

"I actually don't blame you for it," he told her. "I'm sorry . . . we were pressuring you."

"No. No this is what I was born for. I'm supposed to stand up to those who are endangering the world; that's the whole job of the Avatar." She stood up and Houjin followed suit, staring down at her. "Azula needs to be stopped."

"You're not going to be alone," he told her. "We'll be right with you."

She met his eyes now, smiling at him. "I know. Come on we have to go find the others. We need a plan."

"There you guys are!" Houjin and Sakari took a step back as Ki landed in front of them, his face frightened. "We've got bad news."

"What's happened now?" Houjin asked. Bad news wasn't uncommon anymore but it came in degrees it seemed liked. It could be bad or it could be horrible.

"Our spies have returned," Ki told them, motioning for them to walk with him. "Azula's warships are on the move again and they're certain that Azula is with them."

"Are they on their way here?" Sakari muttered, hurrying to keep up with Houjin and Ki and their long strides.

"Worse." Ki glanced over his shoulder at them, his face grim. "She's heading to the North Pole."

Sakari looked up at the two boys she was with, Houjin's jaw tense, his hands clenched into fists. Ki was also in a nervous state, fidgeting more than normal. "Why is she heading there? There's nothing there anymore is there?"

"Not people anyway," Houjin told her as an old war balloon and the rest of their friends came into view. "But there's still the spirit oasis, the home of Tui and La."

The Ocean and Moon spirits.

Yue.

Sakari willed her feet to keep moving even though her heart had just dropped to the pit of her stomach. "She's going to kill them."

"If she manages it," Ki said, sadly, "she'll destroy all Water Benders, permanently, she'll destroy the balance. We were lucky last time; we won't be if she succeeds."

Hattori, Shui, and Meifeng were already in the basket, Shui looking particularly pale. He grabbed Sakari's hand as soon as she was near, pulling her into the basket, Houjin following.

"You are very brave, my friends," Ki said with a slight smile, gripping the edge of the basket. "I know this won't be last time we see each other. Sakari," he added to her, "we – I have the utmost faith in you. . . . After all, you've saved the world at least three times before."

Sakari smiled, leaning forward to hug the Airbender. "We'll see you soon, Ki. Be safe."

Hattori and Houjin stepped into the middle of the basket, punching their fists towards the coals, sending twin jets of fire into the furnace. After a brief moment, the basket lifted off the ground, Shui moving to grab the ropes and move us northeast, towards the Northern Water Tribe.

Once the basket was moving, carried now by the wind, the five friends leaned back against the edges, looking to each other, doing their best imitations of smiles. "Well –" Hattori started but, for the first time since they'd met him, he had nothing to say.

Meifeng reached over and took his hand, much to his surprise. "This is it, it would seem."

Shui nodded, face determined. "If anything, we need to save Tui and La. Maybe we can find some way to transport them away, somewhere safe."

"If Azula is already on the move, we won't have time to get there and get the spirits away," Sakari told him, shaking her head. "No, it's time for this to stop. We are going to face Azula and put an end to her madness."

"It's not exactly going to be a walk in the park," Hattori asked, frowning at the bottom of the basket. "There are five of us against thousands of them."

"Then we have nearly the same odds as Avatar Aang and his friends, our parents, did when they went against Ozai," Houjin told him. "We're the only chance."

Sakari turned, looking out at the horizon, towards where she assumed the Northern Water Tribe to be. "We're the last chance, that's for sure."

This was it.

* * *

**A/N: So kind of short, I know, just a little filler for you. Sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you guys liked this chapter though and I'll see you next time!**


	32. The Northern Water Tribe

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**A/n: Sooo it's been a minute I know. Idk if anyone was waiting for this story but here it is anyway :D Should be maybe three more chapters. Thanks you guys! Oh and s/o to AniLoveMe who is following this story.**

* * *

Shui held tightly to the ropes, maneuvering the balloon towards the block of ice that was, or at least had been, the Northern Water Tribe. His mom had once said it had been gorgeous, ice sculptures and buildings that would never melt, a place full of life. . . . Now there was nothing. The buildings were torn down, the air around them was still, quiet and as the balloon got closer to the ground he could see the scorch marks.

He tried not to look as panicked as he felt. If Azula managed to kill the ocean and moon spirits, there would be no saving it, not like last time. There was no Yue to sacrifice herself this time. His Bending would be gone, the balance would be destroyed.

What would happen then?

The basket hit the ground, jostling its occupants. Hattori extinguished the flame and they all got out, Houjin taking the lead. Shui lagged behind, looking around. He would have loved to see this city when it was beautiful. Perhaps – perhaps when the war was over, when (and he forced himself to think 'when' and not 'if') Sakari won, they could rebuild the city, give the Waterbenders who were still alive a place to go. Of course, this included the Southern Water Tribe. He would fix this.

He had to fix this.

None of them spoke as they traveled through the broken city, the only sounds being their footsteps struggling not to slip against the ice. Everything seemed so – so dead.

"What should we be looking for?" Hattori murmured into the silence.

"Mom said they kept the spirits in an oasis, somewhere beautiful," Meifeng told them. "Waterbenders – Waterbenders died protecting it, hiding it when Azula's army attacked."

"So the question is," Houjin said, stopping, "where would you hide an oasis?"

Shui looked around, turning. There was a strange pull in his stomach, a beckoning. He looked at Sakari, noticing that she was staring in the same direction that he was. He grabbed her hand, pulling her forward, using each other for support. Behind them, Shui heard their friends struggling to keep up, calling out to them.

The pull seemed to grow stronger as they headed for a single iced house. Shui pushed the door open, not really knowing what to expect. The inside was a mess, furniture burned and strewed everywhere. Shui turned to Sakari again. "You look over there?" he asked, pointing off to the left.

"Okay," she whispered, moving in that direction.

Shui went the other way, the pull in his stomach becoming more and more frustrating. He took a deep breath moving down a long hallway. His breath left him in a puff of wind as he entered another room.

There was a door. A single, wooden, round door and, even standing across the room, Shui could feel the pull was coming from whatever was behind that door.

He couldn't call out to his friends, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest up into his throat, so he just walked forward, hand out. His fingers curled around the handle, pulling the door open.

"Whoa," he whispered.

It was truly a sight to behold. Shui couldn't believe his eyes as he stepped through the doorway. It was warm in the oasis, no snow covered the earth. Flowers and trees lined the water below him and he could see the ripples in the small pond below as he descended the left side of the stairs. It was beautiful, this hidden paradise for the spirits. Shui reached the bottom of the stair case and made his way to the pool.

Tui and La circled each other in their endless dance, gorgeous, eternal. Shui got on his knees besides the pool and watched their tails flick in the water. He could have sworn he heard a voice murmur in his ear, "_Welcome my son_."

"Shui?" someone called from above him, breaking him from his trance.

"I'm down here!" he answered. "I found them!"

Seconds later, Sakari, Houjin, Hattori, and Meifeng appeared at the top of the stairs, their faces equally shocked. With an excited little squeal, Sakari practically floated down the stairs as she ran, kneeling next to Shui as she too stared down into the water. A soft smile lit her face and she murmured, "I am honored to be in your presence, Great Spirits."

"This – this is amazing," Meifeng said as she and the others joined Shui and Sakari on the island.

"I can't believe they've managed to keep this place intact over the years," Hattori remarked sitting down and leaning back against a tree.

"Question is," Houjin muttered, looking around, "_who_ has been keeping this place intact."

A whistle in the air alerted them to the oncoming threat. Shui looked up just in time before a spear came hurtling towards him. Jumping to his feet he swung his arm up, Bending the water in the pool so that it sliced through the spear, cutting it half before it hit him.

"Seize fire!" someone screamed.

Shui stepped back towards his friends, all of who were prepared to fight, watching the entrance. A girl appeared at the top of the steps. She must have been the same age as Shui and Sakari but she seemed much older, much more mature. She stood with another spear at ready, her blue eyes narrowed as she glared at Shui. "You! Waterbender! Are you the Avatar?"

"It's a good thing I'm not considering you just tried to kill me," Shui said angrily.

The girl glared. "If you are not the Avatar then you are trespassing on sacred ground."

Sakari put a hand on Shui's shoulder, stepping forward. "I'm the Avatar. Avatar Sakari," she told her.

For a moment there was silence. . . . Shui felt Sakari's hand tighten on his shoulder and he started to lift his arm to push her back if need be. On his left, he saw Houjin tense and could practically feel his sister and Hattori getting prepared to move. Then, on the bridge, maybe twenty armed fighters, men and women, stepped forward out of the shadows – no. . . . Not adults. Standing above them where teenagers and children. The eldest in the group held the weapons in their hands while kids, some much younger than them, stood around watching apprehensively. Shui's arm fell at the sight. It was amazing really, to see so many Water Tribe members in one place. All of them were usually so scattered around or just – gone.

Once again, the girl stepped forward, giving Sakari a slight bow. "My name is Kier and this is my tribe. We welcome you but – why are you here now?"

"We're here to help," Sakari told her. "Azu –"

She stopped, looking worried. Shui followed her gaze where it rested on a young girl, about five or six. She was very precious, bright blue eyes shining as she peeked out behind a boy who may have been her brother. Sakari turned back to Kier and asked, "May we talk to you in private?"

Keir looked down at the little girl and then she nodded. She turned to a girl slightly older than her. "Could you please take everyone out? Get supper started for our guests. Takae could you stay here please?"

The other girl bowed her head, ushering everyone out of the room, leaving behind Kier and a tall boy who was watching them suspiciously. Shui noticed that he was the only one without a spear. The boy followed Kier as she walked down the steps, both of them talking in hushed whispers. When they reached the group they both stood stoically in front of them. Kier nodded her head. "This is Takae, my second in command."

Takae cleared his throat. "It must be important if you've just now decided to grace us with your presence Avatar Sakari."

"Hey that's not fair," Houjin said, stepping forward. "She was hidden away for her protection."

"What about our protection?" Takae asked in return. "We are all that's left out of an incredibly numerous tribe, cut down by that monster. Most of us lost our parents, siblings even, who were Waterbenders and Warriors. Where was she been this whole time while we sat waiting for another attack?"

Houjin went to deliver another angry retort when Sakari softly asked, "How did you all come to be here?"

Keir looked to her, her eyes sad. As with everyone, it was hard to resist Sakari, who was too kind to be truly mad at. Keir looked to Takae and nodded her head. Relunctantly he relaxed his tense position but the anger didn't quite leave his gaze. Finally, Keir sighed, casting her gaze to the fish in the pool. "Azula didn't stop after her first attack on the Water tribes sixteen years ago . . . she kept coming back. Every time she destroyed more, took more. I was ten when my father was killed. He had become Chief and he organized an attack on Azula's oncoming ships but – but it failed. I don't know why Azula stopped coming back but she left us alone. That was when Takae showed up; him and a bunch of younger kids who had lost parents and were running. Takae and I decided that, for now, this would be our safe haven. We send out scouts every once and a while and the kinds we find lost and orphaned we bring here. Because we only get the random solider showing up here every once in a while, searching for the oasis, it's been safe to live here and take care of each other."

"Or at least it was," Takae murmured under his breath.

"We plan to keep it safe," Shui told Keir, trying hard not to shoot an angry glare at Takae.

Keir nodded, but it was obvious to tell she was still hesitant. "My Second makes a point however. Why are you here now?"

"It's not good," Meifeng said sadly. "I'm afraid Azula found out about your safe haven. She's coming here . . . for the spirits."

Keir and Takae exchanged glances. The girl shook her head. "We knew this day would come and we've sworn our lives to keeping the world in balance. Avatar Sakari, we offer ourselves into your service."

With that Keir and her Second bowed and Sakari returned the gesture.

Shui looked down into the pool were Tui and La continued to swim, and he could have sworn he saw them smile.

* * *

**A/N: I haven't updated in forever! But here you go :D and a chapter in Shui's POV. I realized he's only had about two. Sorry for the wait and I'll see you next time!**


	33. Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

**A/N: S/o to Rick Burns!**

* * *

Shui stood on the roof of the house where the oasis was hidden, looking out over the vast ice land that had once been the beautiful world of the Northern Water Tribe. It made him sad to think that, if things did not go well once Azula came, he would never get to see it as it once was.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

Startled, Shui spun around, almost losing his balance and falling over the edge. Keir's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back towards her before he could fall. She let go of him quickly, taking a step slight back. There was a small smirk on her face. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me," Shui spat out. "Just – surprised me is all. I wasn't expecting you to just show up out of the blue and – what did you say before?" he sputtered out instead when it was obvious that Keir wouldn't take back her previous comment.

Still smiling, Keir stepped up next to him, folding her hands behind her back. "I asked you if you thought it was beautiful."

"Well," Shui started, not really knowing what to say without offending the girl, "It's, er, got its good points, I guess. . . ."

Keir laughed, the sound tinkling and light. "It's okay, I understand. You can only see what's in front of you. I know this place for what it is: beauty and light and freedom. . . ."

"How could you?" Shui asked, turning to her. "You couldn't have seen it before Azula began her raids; we're the same age."

"No I didn't see it before . . . but I can see what it will be, once Azula is gone and we begin to rebuild it."

"You have a lot of faith in a girl you barely know."

"You have more considering I'm sure you've risked your life for 'a girl you barely know'."

She had him there. Shui frowned at the ice beneath his feet. "Sakari – Sakari is a different kind of girl. . . . You don't – you don't meet someone like her all the time."

Keir leaned towards him. "What do you mean?"

"She's just so hard to define. She's strong and brave but fragile and trusting . . . and she's got this incredible sense of loyalty and an incredibly big heart. . . . My mom used to tell me stories about my Dad and Sakari reminds me of him. I never knew him but, watching over Sakari makes me feel as if I am closer to him and it only makes sense that I would become closer to her over time."

"You care about her," Keir muttered, nodding in understanding.

Shui let out a snort of laughter. "Yeah in a like, she's my best friend and sister kind of way; Houjin would probably kill me if I got any other ideas."

"He does seem the type," the Water Tribe girl said. "Quick to anger . . . except around her."

"She is something special. She'd be the one to bring back all of this." He gestured around at the ice land.

Keir sat down on the edge, looking up at him. "And what about you, Shui? What do you bring to the table?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Well, Sakari is, obviously, the Avatar . . . Meifeng is the compassionate one . . . Houjin is strong and quiet while Hattori is quick and persistent. So what are you?"

Shui shrugged. "I'd say I'm the cute and funny one," he replied with a grin.

She elbowed him, hard, but there was a slight smile on her face. "I'm serious."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because everyone needs to have a purpose, a position."

"But I do have a purpose . . . it just doesn't have a name. Does a purpose have to have a title? Can't I just be – I don't know – me? Someone who's there for his friends and family whenever they need him? Someone who is just, I guess, loyal."

"There you go then," Keir said, getting to her feet. "You're the loyal one. But," she started, leaning down and so that their noses were only maybe an inch apart, "you are pretty cute and funny."

She grinned, standing up straight before she turned, heading for the door in the roof that led inside. She stopped, looking back at him. "Are you coming?"

Shui shook himself from his stupor, smiling at her as he stood up, following her back into the house.

* * *

Meifeng stared up at the sky, arms crossed around her stomach. Standing a few feet back, Hattori watched her, his cloak up against the snow. He watched as the slight breeze blew her hair. It had gotten longer since he had known her. He liked it longer. He wondered if she were still very much upset with him. They hadn't really spoken – not since. . . .

"What are you doing?" he asked her quietly.

She sighed, heavily. "Waiting."

"On?"

"The black snow." She looked back over her shoulder. "Mom used to talk about how, when the Fire Nation attacked her village, the ash would turn the snow black."

"Must have been a terrible feeling," he muttered. When Meifeng didn't respond, he walked up to stand beside her. Quickly he took off his cloak and drapped it around her shoulders. He avoided her gaze as he wrapped his arms around himself, warming his hands to warm himself. "Are you still angry?"

Meifeng sighed, pulling his cloak tighter around her. "No. No I'm not. It's just – seeing you like that . . . it scared me."

Hattori stared at the ground. "When we found out they took you . . . I was terrified. I thought – I thought they would kill you, that I'd never be able to really tell you how I felt and . . . My mind went blank. I just wanted to get you back. I'm sorry I scared you. I'm sorry I'm not perfect, I –"

"I don't need you to be perfect, Hattori," Meifeng said, turning to him. "I care about you the way you are. I just want you to realize that you are not alone anymore. You have Shui, Sakari, and Houjin . . . and me. You don't have to act as if it's you against the world, fighting against every person as if they are your enemy." She moved forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head against his chest, surprising him. "You're not alone."

Hattori wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "Do you want to keep waiting?"

"Only if you'll be here when the ash comes."

Giving her a small, but calm assuring smile, Hattori softly lifted her face up with his fingers to meet her eyes. "Always, Meifeng."

* * *

Sakari stood in front of the ice building that had once been the Northern Water Tribe's grand hall. It was nothing but ruins now, though she imagined it had been just as beautiful as the rest of the city had been. How could she protect this place at all? She was just one person. . . .

She felt the tears burn the back of her eyes and she put her hands over her face. No. No, she wouldn't cry. She couldn't cry. She was the Avatar and it was her job to protect the world. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths until she calmed down.

Fingers curled around her hand and she opened her eyes. Houjin stood in front of her, eyes intent on her face. She stepped forward, throwing her arms around his neck and he returned the hug. "I'm scared," she muttered against his shoulder.

"We've made it this far," Houjin said when she stepped back. He gave her a small smile that didn't hold long. "What's to stop us from going forward?"

"What if –?"

"Don't." Houjin lifted his hands to her face, looking into her eyes. "We're going to win. You're going to become the world's savior and live till you're old and grey."

Sakari stared back at him. "What about you?"

Houjin's hands fell and he moved away from her. Sakari stepped towards him. "Houjin? What about you?"

"I –" Houjin looked down at the ground before meeting her eyes again. "If things start to look bad, I want you to run. I'm going to challenge Azula to an Agni Kai."

"No." Sakari shook her head. "Houjin that's crazy! Azula is too powerful. She could –"

"I know. But –"

"This is what we've been training for! For me to fight Azula! Not for you to jump in and become a martyr!"

"This isn't about me being a martyr," Houjin tried to explain calmly but Sakari could see he was becoming just as angry as she was. "This is about keeping you alive. You are the Avatar and if Azula kills you then everything would be lost. Better me than you."

Sakari glared at him. "Is this something you've been planning all along? Do you think I'm not strong enough?"

"No! That's not what I think!"

"Then what is it Houjin? Why are you so willing to throw away everything for –"

"Because I love you!" The words echoed across the vast plains of ice. For a while in silence, Houjin kept glaring at Sakari while she stared at him in shock. Finally, Houjin's glare faded away and he shook his head. "I – I can't let you die. It'll be my fault if you do. . . . For not protecting you, for not teaching you enough and – and I don't want to lose you. . . . So yes, I'm more than willing to throw away everything, but not for the world . . . just for you."

Sakari took a step towards him. "From day one, you've been by my side watching over me and I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone. I know, that if anyone can keep me safe it's you, Houjin. . . ." She took his face between her hands, smiling the way that only Sakari could smile. "And I love you too."

Houjin leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. A drop of snow landed on the bridge of his nose and his eyes blinked open. Sakari's eyes were still closed. Houjin reached up, his finger tips lightly brushing away the snow that landed on her forehead. Her eyes opened and fell down to his hand where the snow stained his fingers black. . . .

"Oh no," Sakari breathed, looking up into the air as the black snow started to drift around them. Houjin's hand tightened around her wrist.

They were here.

* * *

**A/N: Nothing can describe the deep sincere apology I have for taking so long to write this! Geez you would not believe how busy I got with school and work. Hopefully, I'll have a little bit more time starting next month. This one's almost done! **


	34. Stand Alone

**A/N: Shoutout to Kashno2 for adding this story! You rock!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar the Last Airbender.**

* * *

Sakari stood in the vast ice land. It was cold and a slight breeze rustled her hair. Her fans were closed, resting against her palms, the pressure reassuring. On either side her, her friends stood. Houjin was closest, on her right, the only nerves showing in the slight twitch of his fingers. Next to him Shui waited, waterskins at the ready but under his feet, under the ice, the water was shifting. On the other side of Sakari, Meifeng gripped tightly to her staff. Hattori stood next to her, Katanas and eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Behind them all stood a scattering of warriors, the kids who were old enough to fight. Among them were Keir and Takae, weapons at ready. It was a sad and sorry bunch to stand here and believe they could face off against trained Firebenders and Earthbenders. Sakari knew that she was the only chance to keep everyone alive and she contained only one thought.

_Just Azula. All I have to do is get to Azula._

Turning she looked to her friends and the Northern Water Tribe members. "The odds won't be fair. We will probably be outnumbered."

She winced at her words, realizing how harsh she sounded. Though everyone looked so tough and sure, Sakari could see the barely concealed terror behind their eyes. She took a deep breath. "We've made it this far. We are strong. Among us are the bravest people, the bravest men and women I have ever met and I thank you now for standing with me. For always standing with me," she added, looking to each of her friends. "Today marks the end of a war that has continued for over 100 years. We will not let it continue anymore. The genocide of nations, the murder of innocent people ends here!"

Keir rose her staff in the air with a yell and her fellow warriors did the same. Sakari turned back around to face the frozen shore.

In front of them, three Fire Nation had docked on their shores. They watched as at least fifty soldiers poured out of each; one-hundred and fifty trained fighters to their fifteen. The odds were not looking fair at all.

A litter was carried off the middle ship by four more soldiers. Sakari thought she felt her heart pound against her chest with each footstep. She could see Azula's silloutte behind the sheer curtains, sitting tall and proud.

Burning.

Pain.

The smell of burnt flesh.

She felt a hand grab her wrist and she looked up at Houjin, who was keeping his eyes straight ahead but he must have noticed the slight increase in her breathing. "You're okay. I'm right here."

Sakari nodded. "I know."

His fingers relaxed slightly, resting gently against hers. She just needed to keep Azula here, bring Azula down here. Without Azula, her battalion would fall and the war would be over.

Hopefully.

"You're strong too," Houjin whispered. "And you're brave. Today we will end this."

Sakari wanted nothing more than to hug Houjin, kiss him. For some reason, he always seemed to know what to say and she appreciated him for that.

"Thank you for being here."

"Always."

The four soilders set down the litter and the silence was palpable. One man reached forward drawing back the curtains.

Azula stepped out, full armor glinting in the dim sun, her hair pulled on top of her head in a top knot. Sakari had always heard Azula was beautiful, even as crazy as she was and there was something amazingly regal as she stood there.

She was terrifying.

A smirk came to Azula's face. "What is this? An army?"

"Azula," Sakari called out, her voice echoing across the plain. "Today we stand against you!"

Azula laughed, loudly. "How adorable is this! You and these few you chose to stand with you cannot stop me. I will destroy you and the water and moon spirits."

"You won't," Sakari replied. "We won't let you."

"You won't let me?" Azula took a step forward, frowning. "This isn't a game, Avatar. You won't let me? How are you going to stop me? With this pathetic excuse of an army? The world belongs to me now, as it rightfully should and I don't attend to give it back. You just don't seem to understand. You've lost."

"No you don't understand and you never have." Sakari moved forward. "This world has never belong to you, has never belonged just to the Fire Nation. For over a century you have fought to try to make this world belong to you and have you seen the chaos you have caused? The world is unbalanced, nations should not be fighting against each other."

"There is only unbalance because people like you keep fighting against me!"

"No, you're fighting against us. What you've seen, what's behind me, are strong people, proud people. You've destroyed their land and now their angry. Now they fight against you. Face it Azula, there will always be more people willing to stand against you, then fight with you."

"Be quiet!" Azula yelled. Her control was slipping. Once more, Sakari could see the barely concealed insanity behind her ferocious gaze. Perhaps . . . perhaps that was the key to defeating her. "You know nothing! You're just a child!"

"I am not a child." Though she didn't yell, her voice sounded strong and powerful. "I am the Avatar and I have lived this live a thousand times over and each life has proven to me this one and simple fact: Those who fight against me will not win. Azula, I challenge you. I challenge you not only for the lives of Tui and La but also for the world."

"Sakari," Houjin muttered angrily. "That wasn't what we agreed."

"You're not supposed to face her alone," Meifeng whispered. "Let us help."

"27 years ago a boy no older than 13 stood against Fire Lord Ozai and fought for his people," Sakari answered, her eyes never leaving Azula. "27 years ago, a young girl gave up her life for her people. Hundreds of years before that, Avatar Kyoshi stood against Chin the Conqueror and fought for her people. They all knew what was important, who was important, and they stood against impossible odds for the most important cause. I understand that now. Today I stand against Azula and fight for my people and I will not back down."

"The last time you dared stand against me, you fell," Azula taunted. "Do you remember?"

At the mention, the burned skin on her wrist and neck seem to feel the fire once more but Sakari dared not let that show. "I will never forget but today I will not let you win. Today you will lose everything."

Azula eyes widened with fury. "Then fight me!"

She trust back her fist, blue flames propelling her forward, lifting her feet off the ice, speeding her towards Sakari, who stood with her fans facing the ground. She took a deep breath and muttered, "Okay Yue, Aang, Kyoshi . . . it's just us now."

With that, she started forward, her calm steps a deadly contrast to Azula's increasing pace.

"Sakari!" Houjin yelled before, moving forward as if to grab her but she must have been expecting that.

Sakari darted forward a few steps, turning quickly and flashing one of her fans. The ice trembled beneath their feet and Houjin's legs were encased in ice to his knees. He struggled to break free, placing his hands against the ice in an attempt to melt it as Sakari smiled reassuringly at him, turning back around to face his Aunt.

He looked to his friends and the warriors, all of whom were standing still, watching in awe as Sakari walked away.

"Shui, set me free," he said quickly when he realized the ice wouldn't melt. "Set me free now!"

Shui looked to him sadly. "I don't think she'll be happy with me if I did that."

"I don't care! Let me –"

"Let her go, Houjin," Meifeng said, keeping her eyes on Sakari. "She knows what she's doing."

"She's finally figured it out," Hattori mumbled, a slight smirk on his face.

"Figured what out!" Houjin yelled, still frantically trying to melt the ice around his legs.

"She's figured out who she is," Hattori answered.

Sakari still moved forward slowly as Azula moved towards her. "Yue, grant me your strength," she whispered softly, stopping.

Azula let out a roar of indignant fury. Sakari stood her ground, sliding one foot back into her fighting stance. "Aang, grant me your courage."

Azula was getting closer, so close in fact that she could feel the heat of the fire. She flicked her hands, her fans opening up. "Kyoshi, grant me your wisdom."

Inhaling, she spun once, slicing up and sending air in Azula's direction. The resulting blast sent Azula back slightly, stopping her oncoming rampage. She stood staring at Sakari in shock. Sakari let herself smile. "I know where I've come from. Do you?"

Azula growled, rushing forward again. Sakari dodged, moving away from the flaming fist heading towards her face and the next one at her stomach. She continued to duck and move, not stopping long enough for Azula to get any closer than she already was. Azula screamed. "Fight me!"

Sakari spun around her, dodging another blow before she raised her leg, kicking her in the back and sending her sprawling to the ground. Azula jumped back to her feet, breathing heavily, her top knot falling sideways. "Quit playing games!"

"I'm not playing anything," Sakari said, stepping back again. "You can't win –"

She raised the ice just before Azula punched at her, fist flaming. Her hand came through though and Sakari stumbled back, continuing to use the ice to protect herself as Azula got closer and closer.

"Sakari!" she thought she heard Houjin yell, somewhere off in the distance.

Azula's foot caught Sakari in the side, sending her to the ground. Sakari scrambled back to her feet just in time to jump out of the way again, using Airbending to propel her a little farther back. Azula was there though, her foot connecting with Sakari's stomach, sending her back into a block of ice. Her head cracked against it and she found herself following to the cold ground, unable to move as Azula stood over her grinning madly. "This is how it ends."

Sakari blinked once . . . twice . . . and then her eyes closed.

* * *

_No._

Houjin stared shocked at Sakari, unconscious on the ground. Azula begin to laugh, softly at first and then uncontrollably. "This!? This is what you have to fight against me!? She is pathetic! I win!"

She raised a hand in the air, blue flames growing more intense in her palm. Houjin looked down at Sakari again. Her eyes twitched and she fell from her side to her back, eyes fluttering open, revealing glowing blue orbs. "Meifeng, Shui!"

They jumped into action right away, Meifeng swinging her staff around and knocking Azula back. Shui used one hand to raise an icy barrier over Sakari and melt the ice from Houjin's legs. "Hattori –"

"Way ahead of you," Hattori grinned, darting forward. "Let's buy her some time."

Houjin followed after him, palms blazing as they raced to meet Azula.

_Hurry back, Sakari. _

* * *

**A/N: Whoo! It's been a while :D I hope that was long enough to satisfy you! Thanks for reading. **


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